The Last Dance
by Pha1ange5
Summary: Booth & Brennan are invited to an FBI awards dinner. Neither has dates b/c they want to be each other's. Involves dinner, dancing, and distractions...NOW COMPLETE! NOTE: Part 22 posted in two versions, rated T Ch. 22 & M Ch. 23 .
1. Chapter 1

**The Last Dance**

*This was inspired by a dress I saw in a store window, and Hart's comments that "There must be dancing…"

**Part 1**

"_Dear Dr. Brennan,_

_You are cordially invited to attend the annual Federal Bureau of Investigation Honors Recognition Banquet as our esteemed guest._

_You will be the recipient of a special award for your services to the FBI over the past 5 years along with your partner Special Agent Seeley Booth. We sincerely hope that you are able to attend._

_Date: Friday, November 27__th__, 2009_

_Time: 7 pm_

_Please note that this is a formal event._

_R.S.V.P. to Sylvia Sharma at---------- by November 20__th__, 2009."_

Temperance Brennan stared at the elegant stationary, reading through the text quickly for a second time.

Just then, her partner of five years, Seeley Booth, casually strolled into her office, noticing her standing at her desk reading something. Instantly he recognized the paper she was holding. He had received the same one earlier in the day.

Brennan glanced up as he walked in. "Booth, what is this all about? We've been invited to a banquet?" She knew from the look he was giving the paper that he knew what she was referring to.

He glanced at her with that charming half-smile of his. "Uh, yeah. It's an invitation to a banquet the FBI holds every year to honor their best agents for the work they do. I guess this year our work caught their attention and they're giving us an award for our outstanding collaborative work in homicide investigation."

She tilted her head to one side, musing slightly. "Have you ever been invited before?"

He glanced down and cleared his throat, trying to sound nonchalant. "Ahem…Yeah, you know, I've been invited a couple of times."

"Oh." She nodded slightly. She had never been invited before.

"It seems questionable that the FBI would spend so much money to have an event like this given the current economic climate." She puckered her lips and arched her eyebrows, waiting for his quick response. She wasn't disappointed.

Raising his one eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair, he responded, "Yeah well the FBI treats this shindig as a little pick-me-up for all the hard work we do. I figure a free meal ticket once a year isn't a huge price to pay when you consider all of the extra hours most agents have to put in to put their cases to bed. There's dinner, they announce the awards and a little dancing at the end. It's fun."

Brennan arched her eyebrows at him. She knew Booth hated these types of functions.

"Do you know of anyone else who will be going?"

Booth stood up trying to eventually move the conversation to the reason he came in the first place. This banquet thing was making him anxious for some reason and he wanted to change the subject before…well…before she had a chance to ask anything else about it. Like who he was going with, and why he didn't have a date, and why he wasn't asking her when really all he wanted to do was cross that damned line and…

"Well, Sweets will be there, and he'll probably bring Daisy, and you know Charlie from the office? He'll be there too…and Agent Perotta most likely…and I think Cam is going as well, since she's head of the Medico-Legal Lab." He looked up at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something else.

She surprised him by pausing for a minute, a thoughtful look on her face, then nodded slightly and turned her attention back to him.

"I don't recall…did you mention why you're here?" a slightly curious but amused look on her face.

"Nope Bones, but I'll fill you in on the way…we've got a case! Oh, and you might want to grab your gum boots, this one's a slimy one." He hurriedly turned to her, placing a gentle hand on her back to guide her out the door before she could ask anything else.

*****

_2 weeks later…(a week before the banquet)_

"You haven't gotten a dress yet?!" Angela exclaimed as she sat in Brennan's office sipping on her chamomile tea.

"Ange, I haven't exactly had much time…Booth and I have been unusually preoccupied with two cases this week. I just barely made the RSVP deadline." There had been many a late night examining remains, deciphering clues, pouring over paperwork and lingering over take-out on her couch in the last few weeks, but she hadn't minded. Though exhausting, it had been sort of fun in a way.

"Wait, you just RSVP'ed? That is so unlike you…you're usually on top of that kind of stuff." She looked curiously at her friend for a moment. "You weren't considering not going, were you?"

"What? No, of course not. I told you, I was busy." Brennan looked flustered. She was a terrible liar. She didn't want to admit that the reason why she hadn't responded sooner was because she had been hoping to respond for two attending, not one.

Curious but not wanting to push too many buttons at once, Angela backtracked and took a different tactic. She'd get back to the non-attendance business later.

"Okay, so let me guess…you need me to come shopping with you."

_Here comes the condescending tone…_

"Angela, you know I am perfectly capable of selecting a dress to wear for myself. I simply thought you would enjoy partaking in a shopping excursion with me, since you seem to love dressing me up, but if you're too busy I can go on my own."

To be honest with herself, Brennan had been shopping with Angela a few times in the last year and had found her tastes to be quite attractive. She had improved on her wardrobe immensely, and had adapted a more feminine flair because of it. She quite liked the changes actually and she liked spending time with her friend.

"No, I'm not too busy…you know I'm NEVER too busy to shop." Angela smiled a wide smile.

"Let me just go get my purse."

A woman on a mission, Angela knew she needed to do two things:

1) Find out why Brennan seemed so hesitant about this banquet, and

2) Find a dress that would make Brennan the hottest thing the FBI (and a certain FBI Special Agent) had ever seen.

*****


	2. Chapter 2

Just wanted to let you know that I will most likely be updating this story every 1-2 days. I have most of it written.

Thanks for your kind reviews so far! I really appreciate it!

*********

**Part 2**

"I don't know about this Ange. It feels too…flashy."

Angela sat on a bench in the fitting area, waiting for Brennan to come out of the cubicle. They had been to every store in the mall, dissatisfied with everything they had seen so far. Well, Brennan had seemed perfectly satisfied with many dresses while Angela had not. Near their wits end, they finally happened on a newer boutique that carried more trendier dressy clothes that were exactly what the facial reconstructionist was looking for.

"Sweetie, I'm telling you, this is the one. Come out and let me see it."

"Uh…give me a second."

Brennan stood back and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was certainly beautiful, and it fit her perfectly, accentuating her best features. It was a dress she would have never picked for herself, but she couldn't deny that she didn't like it. Her mind couldn't help but wonder what her partner would think of it, which was a common occurrence in her clothing selection these days. Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she parted the curtain and stepped out into the fitting area.

Angela took one look at her friend and was sold. "Oh my God Bren, it's perfect! No arguing, you're buying it if I have to pay for it myself."

"Don't you think it's a bit, I don't know, bold for this event? I'm accepting an award, I need to look presentable."

Angela gave her friend a stern look. "Brennan, this dress is stunning on you and completely appropriate. You'd be a fool not to buy it. Trust me, there won't be a single set of male eyes who won't be paying attention to you when you give your speech." _And I'm thinking of one set of male eyes in particular _Angela mused.

"That's what I'm afraid of" Brennan muttered. As an afterthought, she said, "I don't actually have to give a speech, I'm just receiving the award."

"Even better, less pressure that way."

Brennan looked in the mirror one more time before making a decision.

Knowing she was beat but secretly happy with their find, she nodded hesitantly, feigning defeat, and turned back to the cubicle to change.

Angela thought to herself that she had never seen Brennan so striking. The dress highlighted every one of her friend's best features.

_Mission, part 2 accomplished…now to figure out part 1._

*****

5_ days later (2 days before the banquet)_

Angela was sitting at a console on the forensics platform, running a DMV search on their latest victim when she heard the familiar _swish_ and beep from behind her as someone came up the steps.

"Hey Ange, you got something for me?" Booth asked as he hopped up the steps, reaching the artist with a smile.

Angela turned and smiled back, folder in hand as she handed it to him.

"Just printing off the info now. It's like you read my mind or something…a cosmic connection." She winked and grinned at him. It was always fun to tease Booth.

"Our victim's name is Sherry Wilson, aged 35. She's registered as owning a 2003 Ion, the same car that was abandoned about a mile from where you found the body. Her husband is also insured on the car. He never reported it missing. Hope that helps."

She tilted her head for a second, taking in his long, muscular frame, dressed in jeans and a form-fitting T-shirt. She hadn't seen him in casual clothes in a while. He looked good. A thought crossed her mind.

"So Booth, are you going to tux it up for this FBI shindig, or are you going to stick with one of your swanky suits? I for one know that Brennan is going to look absolutely smokin'…wouldn't want you two to not match, now would we?"

She grinned suggestively, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Booth huffed a laugh at Angela's prying, unconsciously smoothing his hand down his chest as he cleared his throat.

"Ha…well, if you must know, I'll be wearing the finest tux money can rent. Hopefully I won't lose the deposit on this one." They both paused in thought for a moment, remembering the last time they were all dressed up. He'd ruined his tux trying to stay alive on an explosive-laden ship.

Trying to lighten the suddenly somber mood, Booth ventured, "So Bones found a dress, huh? Last I spoke to her about it she hadn't even RSVP'ed yet." Just picturing his beautiful partner all dressed up set his stomach aflutter.

Angela tilted her head, picking up on something left unsaid.

"Wait a second, you and Bren aren't going together?"

Booth shuffled his feet uneasily. He had wanted to ask her to be his date, but had decided not to (well, chickened out) for lots of reasons, at least that's what he told himself. It was an FBI event, after all, and he didn't want to give the wrong impression to his superiors, plus she was already invited individually, giving her the opportunity to invite her own date. To be honest with himself, the main reason he hadn't asked was simply because he was afraid she'd either say no, or even worse, tell him she already had a date. He'd rather shoot himself in the foot than experience that.

Things had been different between them lately…tense. Scratch that – _in_tense, like currents of electricity running between them. Sparks hadn't flown yet, but some time soon, they were heading for an explosion in the worst (and best) kind of way. Booth knew what he felt for her was way more than just simple attraction, but this was Bones…they worked together - there was that stupid line…it was complicated at best.

"Booth?"

He shook himself out of his reverie, momentarily having forgotten that Angela was still there.

"Hmm? Oh…yeah, I don't know who Bones is going with."

He cleared his throat again, then made to leave before Angela's keen perception picked up any more awkward vibes.

"Thanks for the file. I'll see you later."

Angela watched as Booth walked off the platform and towards the door. He didn't head towards Brennan's office like he usually did, which was odd to say the least. Something was up, and Angela intended to find out what.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all for your kind support! I love reading your reviews! They put a big smile on my face. :D

*****

**Part 3**

Brennan was focused on a limbo identity report when she heard a light tapping on her door. Glancing up, she saw that it was Angela.

Sauntering in, she asked, "Hey Sweetie, whatcha working on?"

Brennan, preoccupied with reading the last sentence in the report, absent-mindedly responded without looking up.

"Just reviewing Wendell's report on a bone storage case." She glanced up, then remembered something that Sweets had once told her – people appreciated it when you took interest in their work, even if it was feigned interest.

"What are you working on Angela? Did you need my help with something?"

Angela smiled and handed her the folder she was holding.

"I just wanted to drop off the ID information from the body in the gorge case. I already gave it to Booth, but I thought you'd want a look at it too."

Brennan glanced at the folder as it was given to her, then noticed what Angela had said.

"Booth was here?"

She tried not to look disappointed. It was rare that Booth would come to the Jeffersonian and not stop into her office to at least say hi.

Angela looked at her carefully, trying not to appear too scrutinizing. Venturing into why she really came to Brennan's office, she dove in.

"Yeah, he just wanted a quick ID so that he could get his people working on connecting the dots. By all looks of it, the husband probably did it."

"Hmm…" Brennan nodded absentmindedly, still thinking on why Booth hadn't stopped by.

Their interactions had been atypical as of late. Every time they were near each other, there was a definite sense of attraction between them. It had always been there, simmering under the surface, but ever since his coma and all the trauma of last year, it had heightened with a frisson that seemed to never dissipate. They had had several poignant moments, some close calls of almost giving into the fraught tension, but either she or he had pulled back before anything happened. If she were honest with herself, she knew it was more than just sexual awareness, but she wasn't willing to give in to her discovered "feelings" just yet.

"So Booth and I were chatting about the gala. He's wearing a tux, which makes me flustered just thinking about it. Very James Bond. I only wish I were going to see it. Hey, you never told me you had a date to this thing."

This broke Brennan out of her musings.

"Hmm…what?" She shook her head in confusion. "Who told you I had a date? No one is accompanying me to the banquet."

"Oh…I just thought…Booth said he didn't know who you were going with, so I just assumed you were bringing someone." She watched Brennan carefully.

Her lips tightened in a thin line before responding. "No, you assumed incorrectly."

Brennan quickly turned back to her paperwork, trying to look busy. Angela wouldn't have it.

"Why would Booth think you had a date then? Did you turn him down or something?" She looked pointedly at her best friend. If this was the reason for the awkwardness, she would have to shake some sense into the anthropologist.

An almost imperceptible flicker of disappointment passed over her face before she schooled her features to answer.

"No. Booth never asked me." A pregnant pause hung in the air filled with things left unspoken.

_So THAT was it. _

Brennan quickly turned back to the stack of files next to her.

"I'm sorry Ange, but if you have nothing else, I really should be getting back to work."

It was a dismissal and she knew it, but Angela had gotten what she wanted out of the conversation.

She smiled politely for no one's benefit, since Brennan's eyes were already staring intently at a new file, and walked to the door.

"Yeah sure. See you later."

Once Angela was out the door, Brennan closed her eyes, leaned her head back and sighed, then took a deep breath to compartmentalize her wayward feelings once again before turning back to the ominous pile on her desk.

Angela made her way to her office in a daze, thinking about her conversations with the destined duo.

_Brennan was disappointed that Booth hadn't asked her to be his date. She had waited on him to RSVP – that's why she responded late. _

_These two seriously need some help._

_I've gotta talk to Cam, _Angela thought as she changed directions and made her way to the other side of the lab towards Cam's office.

*****


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for those of you who have put this fic on Story Alert and have put it on your Favourites list! I was overwhelmed to see so much interest. :)

Apologies for not updating yesterday...I'll try to post two today to make up for it. :)

*****

**Part 4**

_Friday Morning, 11 am (the day of the banquet)_

"Ugh, Booth, you weren't kidding when you said I'd need my full-body suit."

Brennan looked down at herself, hands covered in goo, standing waist-deep in a vat of strawberry jam.

"This stuff is very sticky and difficult to sift through. Are you sure we can't just take the whole vat with us back to the Jeffersonian?"

She looked up at her partner who was perched on a platform above her, scribbling some notes down.

Smiling apologetically, he answered, "Sorry Bones, but the tank is welded to the floor. Removal of it would probably cause a leak, which would compromise your crime scene. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Sighing audibly, Brennan glanced back at the partially crushed skull still floating in the vat of jam.

"No, I suppose we would not."

Turning back to look up at Booth, she quipped, "Why is it that we always happen to find bodies in gelatinous messes. I suppose it's as they say…the proof is in the custard?"

Booth smirked at her attempt at being funny.

"It's pudding Bones, the proof is in the pudding. Nice try though. Anything you need to help things along?"

Brennan lifted a gooey femur out from within the sticky compote and held it up outside of the vat for a tech to bag it as evidence.

"Uh, same as the other times Booth. A pitchfork might help, but quite honestly, this is going to take a significant amount of time to sort through given the gelatinous nature of the medium in which the body is in."

A hair fell across her face, tickling her skin. Forgetting about the jam, she tried to brush it away, only to smear the tacky substance across her forehead. Groaning, she looked pointedly at Booth.

"Looks like we might have a difficult time getting to that banquet in time."

Booth nodded and bit his lip, trying to keep from grinning. She looked so cute gazing up at him, looking slightly helpless with her sticky hands.

As soon as he heard about the nature of this case he had a feeling that it might jeopardize their attendance to the banquet. In some ways, he was kind of relieved – he wasn't a big fan of attending those things anyway, and at least if they're working on a case, he'd have his partner's attention all to himself without having to share her with the world. All he could think about was sidling up next to her on her couch, filling out paperwork while trying not to stare longingly at her lips.

"Take your time Bones. We'll deal with that if and when it comes."

*****

_Friday, 6 pm – The Jeffersonian Institute_

"Oh no, you have GOT to be kidding me. Why aren't the two of you dressed yet?"

Cam was standing by the stairs to the forensic platform, dressed to the nines in a beautiful cream dress that highlighted her tanned skin. She had her hands on her hips as she tapped her pointed stiletto heels impatiently, glaring at the two partners who just walked in.

Booth looked a little rumpled, having been crouching in his suit all day, while Brennan was a bit worse for wear, not having successfully removed all of the jam from her hair and clothes. She had bits of strawberry decorating her shirt, as well as streaks of the sticky substance through her hair.

A troup of forensics techs followed behind with bags and cases containing the bones Brennan had painstakingly retrieved from the jam factory.

"Sorry Cam, the body was in a vat of strawberry jam and it took significantly longer to extract the remains than usual."

Brennan gave an exhausted sigh.

"I don't think there's any chance of me going to that banquet, especially not like this…the bones all need to be thoroughly cleaned and examined."

Booth glanced at her, nodding his head. "Yeah Cam, I think we'll have to skip it. Say! You could grab our award in our place and just announce we couldn't be there because we're doing what we got the award for!"

Cam pinched her lips and shook her head vehemently. After her talk with Angela, there was no way she was letting them off this easy.

"No. Uhn-uhn. I don't think so. You are BOTH going to that gala if I have to haul you there myself. It starts at seven. Booth, you can be ready in half an hour…all you need to do is change. Dr. Brennan, you might take longer, but I'm sure you can make it there before your award is announced. The interns can take care of the body. Tonight, we wine and dine with the FBI, no arguing, so let's move!"

Booth and Brennan exchanged reluctant glances. Both had secretly hoped that by being late they'd get to skip out on the banquet, but Cam was in a fierce mood.

Glaring at them both, Cam shouted, "Chop chop people!" and the two of them were startled out of their stares long enough to register that Cam was ushering them out the front doors to their cars.

As they parted in the parking lot, Booth looked reluctantly at Brennan before leaving for his car.

"Our award probably won't come up until after the main course. Do you think you can get yourself cleaned up by then?"

Brennan nodded confidently as she dialled Angela's number.

"With some assistance, yes. I'll do my best to be there as soon as I can."

"I guess I'll meet you there then. Call me when you're on your way?"

Brennan simply nodded as she wistfully smiled, then turned towards where her car was parked.

Booth sighed, turning towards his own car.

_There was no getting out of this for either of them._

*****

Feedback is much appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

I forgot to put the disclaimer up on the first chapter, so here it is:

Disclaimer: I don't own BONES or its characters, but I do proudly own the DVDs and obsessively watch them. :)

*****

**Part 5**

_7:30 pm – FBI Banquet Hall_

Booth managed to get home, shower, and change into his tux all in record time. Fortunately, the traffic wasn't too bad in the city and he made it there just as cocktails were being served. He glanced around the reception hall, taking in the scenery. The FBI certainly hadn't spared any expense for this shindig, complete with a champagne fountain and lounge piano player serenading incoming guests. He grabbed a glass of the bubbly and casually made his rounds, paying respects to the higher-ups as he anxiously scanned the room for a certain brunette to appear. She hadn't called yet so he guessed she was still at home getting ready, but he was anxious as ever to have her by his side again, especially since Angela had casually told him yesterday that she didn't have a date to this thing either.

Another beautiful brunette spotted him and walked up with a martini glass in her hand.

"There you are Seeley…I was worried you'd hit traffic on the freeway. Heard from Dr. Brennan yet?"

Cam peered carefully at her former lover and close friend. He was nervous. She was no fool – she knew what was happening between Booth and Brennan, as did everyone else they worked with. Lately it seemed like they were circling each other like two lions ready to pounce. She secretly hoped that tonight would be a catalyst of sorts to get them moving in the right direction. Angela had forewarned her about their mutual hesitation regarding this event. Apparently neither wanted to make the first move in inviting the other, so both had ended up dateless. She stifled a sigh.

"Nope. That jam was really sticky though. I'm sure she'll get here soon."

He glanced at his watch again. In an effort to distract him, Cam grabbed his arm and said, "Say, there's Sweets and Daisy. Let's go schmooze, shall we?"

*****

_Meanwhile, back at Brennan's apartment…_

"Angela, how long is this going to take exactly? I'm already running late."

Angela had just finished setting the curlers in her friend's hair as Brennan applied some blush to her face.

"This baby will set those curls in no time. It didn't help that you had to wash your hair twice to get all the jam out. Really Bren, you ought to consider an alternate profession that doesn't require wading through goo." She laughed at the look her friend gave her as Angela settled her under the portable domed hair dryer.

"15 minutes and a comb-through, and you'll be good to go. We'll have to wait on the rest of the make-up though until after you're done. Here's an anthropology journal to help pass the time."

She handed her friend the magazine, then settled back with her own issue of Cosmo.

*****

_7:45 pm – FBI Banquet Hall_

"Yeah Daisy, she is coming. She should be here any minute. She was getting a body out of a vat of jam today. Not exactly easy stuff to clean up."

Booth and Cam had been talking amicably with Sweets and his chatty anthropologist girlfriend for the last 15 minutes, filling the time before the start of the gala. They had just chimed the bell to encourage everyone to their seats. Daisy hadn't been the only one to ask where Brennan was.

He was starting to worry that she had decided to bail on attending.

Reluctantly, he made his way into the banquet hall, hand in his pocket on his cell phone, waiting for her to call.

*****

_8:00 pm – Brennan's Apartment_

"There! All set. You are going to knock those FBI guys off their feet!"

Angela stepped back from Brennan, evaluating her from head to toe. Her friend looked amazing, in fact she had never seen her look more elegant yet sexy at the same time. _Booth was going to have a heart attack._

Brennan took one last look in her full-length mirror before turning to go. She had to admit, she did look good.

She fluffed her hair and asked one more time, "Ange, are you sure I shouldn't pin my hair up? This is a formal event… I think I should have it pulled back in a more somber hairstyle."

Angela refrained from rolling her eyes before taking a deep calming breath to answer.

"Brennan, your hair looks amazing, YOU look amazing. You have nothing to worry about. Now get going! The cab's downstairs."

She pushed her reluctant friend towards the door, putting her shawl on in one fell swoop. Brennan paused at the door.

"Thanks for the help Angela. I couldn't have gotten ready this fast without you. Lock the door behind you?"

As Brennan crossed the threshold to her apartment to leave, Angela couldn't help but call out, "Make sure to give that hunky FBI agent a big fat kiss for me!"

She grinned and winked as Brennan glanced back at her, then let her friend go.

*****


	6. Chapter 6

So this chapter includes a description of one of the inspirations for this story. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own BONES except those that are in my body. :)

*****

**Part 6**

_8:20 pm – FBI Banquet_

At 8:15, his cell phone finally vibrated in his pocket. Glancing down at the number, he made a dash for the lobby as quickly and as discretely as possible, since the night's program had already begun. His stomach flipped nervously as he picked up the phone and entered the lobby.

"Bones? Where are you?! The emcee's already started doing introductions."

"Sorry Booth, it took a while to get my hair clean. I'm just pulling up now."

"Alright, I'll meet you at the doors."

Booth made his way across the foyer to the doors as he spotted a cab pulling up to the front of the building at the base of an expanse of stairs. He watched as his partner carefully got out of the cab, their eyes met, and suddenly the world stood still.

She smoothed the front of her dress as she looked up at him, allowing him the indulgence of taking in her image.

She was dressed in a satin emerald-coloured dress that hugged every part of her curvaceous body. It was ruched at the sides to accentuate her tiny waist and ample hips. It hugged her curves right to the knee, with a discrete slit in the back to allow her to walk in black stiletto heels. The dress had a plunging V-neckline that revealed just enough of her décolletage to be elegant and enticing. Her hair fell to her shoulders in soft, flowing curls, a call-back to old-Hollywood glamour and was side-swept to the left, held in place with an emerald-encrusted floral hair pin. Her eye make-up was smoky, making her brilliant blue eyes shine even brighter than usual, and her skin glowed with the effervescence of a spring nymph.

_She was breathtaking._

Booth stood stock-still, mouth parted in awe, forgetting to breathe, mesmerized by his beautiful partner. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she slowly made her way up the steps to him.

She looked into his eyes, her stomach fluttering at the way his pupils had dilated.

"Booth?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to break the spell.

Letting out a shallow breath, he swallowed, not taking his eyes off her. He grabbed her hands as if to steady her, but really it was to reassure him she was real and not a part of his ever more frequent (and inappropriate) fantasies.

His voice came out gruff. "Bones…you look…" He was at a loss for words.

The moment was interrupted by a voice behind them.

"Dr Brennan! So glad you made it, and just in time too! Come on you two, they've started giving out the awards, and you've already missed the salad."

Cam tugged on Booth's arm as she tried to usher the two of them into the hall. He looked like a deer caught in headlights, and it all had to do with a certain woman in a certain green dress.

"Dr. Brennan, I have to say, that dress is stunning on you, wouldn't you agree Seeley?"

Cam smirked subtly as Booth just nodded his head absently and swallowed as he focused on walking and not on his partner's curvaceous body as she passed in front of him.

Cam leaned into him to whisper as Brennan made her way past them.

"Remember to breathe Seeley. It's going to be a long night."

*****

Feedback always puts a smile on my face... :)


	7. Chapter 7

*****

**Part 7**

Brennan, Cam, and Booth quickly made their way into the darkened hall, with Cam leading the way to their table. Booth made note of several male colleagues tracking his partner's movements as she made her way through the tables. It definitely didn't sit well with him.

They seated themselves just as the main course arrived. The tables were set for ten people. At their table was Booth, Brennan, Sweets, Daisy, Cam, Charlie, Agent Perotta, a Jeffersonian administrator, and two other people that Brennan didn't recognize.

As she was seated, Brennan was dismayed to find a prime rib dish at her place setting. Booth noticed her discomfort immediately and flagged down a waiter.

"Excuse me, my colleague here, Dr. Temperance Brennan, is a vegetarian, but you've served her the prime rib. I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding, but could you please bring her a vegetarian meal? It'd be greatly appreciated."

The waiter nodded and quickly removed Brennan's plate and scurried off to get her a vegetarian meal.

Brennan knew she should be annoyed that Booth spoke for her instead of letting her deal with it, but somehow she knew it was very thoughtful of him to remember her preferences.

Leaning over, she placed her hand on his arm and whispered, "Thanks Booth," smiling slightly.

His arm tingled at her touch. With her so close, he could smell her perfume and it was intoxicating, making it hard for him to think, so he simply smiled back and nodded, his hand itching to place his other hand on top of hers. She pulled hers away as her meal arrived, leaving a cold, empty feeling where her hand had been.

*****


	8. Chapter 8

So sorry that the last chapter was so short...I needed it to segue into this next bit, so this chapter is much longer. :)

Thanks so much for all of the great reviews!

As always, sadly, none of these characters belong to me.

*****

**Part 8**

As they were consuming their main course, Brennan was introduced to the additional people at the table she didn't recognize. The man was another agent at the FBI named Frank Stevens who worked in the narcotics division. The woman to his left was his wife, Janet. Booth and Frank had started at the FBI at the same time and had worked together before Booth had been transferred to Homicide.

The conversation at the dinner table was easy enough. Cam managed to entertain the Jeffersonian admin, Dr. Richard Zimmerman, with a discussion of the newest technologies they were using in the Medico-Legal lab, while Daisy chatted animatedly with Dr. Brennan about the nuances of her dissertation. Brennan tried her best not to lose patience with the bubbly girl, especially since Booth kept sending her warning glares every time she tried to correct her student. Despite numerous attempts to break up the conversation, neither Sweets nor Booth could stem the constant flow of anthropology-talk coming out of Daisy.

Dessert was just being served when the announcement came that they would be presenting the awards for inter-agency collaborative work. Booth's ears automatically perked up as he nudged his partner's arm to get her attention.

He leaned over to her ear, whispering loudly, "Hey, our award's coming up next." He grinned as he met her eyes. The candlelight caused his brown eyes to dance mischievously, causing her to involuntarily grin back. He was most disarming when he smiled at her like that.

The look he was giving her was making her feel foolishly giddy. She cleared her throat and turned towards the stage to try and pay better attention while staving off the tumbling sensations in her stomach. She knew the nervousness was definitely not from the award.

"The purpose of these next awards is to recognize outstanding collaborative work between divisions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and various government institutions. The multidimensional nature of the crimes we investigate necessitates these collaborations, facilitating and improving our efforts to keep our country safe.

The first award we will be presenting is for outstanding collaborative work in homicide investigation. The collaboration being recognized is between the FBI and the Medico-Legal Laboratory from the Jeffersonian Institute here in Washington, D.C.. The recipients of this award currently have the most successful close rate in the country across all special homicide divisions, leading to 180 arrests and 121 convictions in the five years they have been working together. Their success is especially impressive given the nature of their specialty – this team is typically called in when the remains of a victim are so badly decomposed that standard investigation techniques no longer apply.

This commendation is being awarded today specifically to two important individuals from this collaborative team, Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan, due to their outstanding efforts in the field. Special Agent Booth has been serving the FBI for 12 years with 10 commendations for numerous projects and is a former Army Rangers Sergeant. Dr. Brennan is an accomplished and highly-esteemed Forensic Anthropologist and cult novelist. Their unique combination of scientific, forensic and conventional investigative work has led to many successes to date.

Please join me in congratulating Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan on their outstanding accomplishments."

At this, Booth lead Brennan by the small of her back carefully up to the stage.

As he was guiding her, she leaned back to whisper in his ear as they walked up, "Very nice introduction, though I disapprove of the implication that I'm a cult novelist. 'Accomplished author' would have been more appropriate."

Booth grinned widely and whispered through his teeth, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you, Bones. Just smile and accept your award." He kept grinning as he continued to walk her up to the stage.

He guided her just until the steps, where he paused at the base, ever the gentleman, letting her go up the stairs first, offering his steadying hand. Their joined hands lingered just a second longer than necessary.

The presenter firmly shook both of their hands while giving them their plaques. The two partners looked at each other, sharing a congratulatory smile together as the announcer encouraged applause from the audience.

"Congratulations to you both!"

The audience clapped once more as they made their way back to their seats, plaques in hand. Booth still managed to provide a guiding hand on the small of Brennan's back despite carrying the placard in his other hand.

A round of congratulations was shared by their fellow table-mates as they sat down, and Cam offered a toast to the duo.

"Well, everything the emcee said is certainly true. You guys make quite an outstanding team, and we couldn't do what we do nearly as well without you. Congratulations on 5 years of excellent work!"

Booth smiled sheepishly at his friend. "Thanks Cam, but we couldn't do it without all the hard work the squints do," tipping his wine glass towards his partner and winking as he said the word "squint." Brennan grinned obligingly and added, "Yes, our team is certainly every bit as deserving of this award as us. A toast to the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal lab, for those of them that couldn't be here tonight." Everyone lifted their glasses accordingly.

The remainder of the awards were given out fairly quickly as theirs was the last category for the evening. The band took their places on the stage as the last of the plates were cleared from the tables. Brennan took this opportunity to stretch her legs to go to the ladies room.

As she stood, Booth looked up. "Bones, where are you going? The night's just getting started."

"I'm going to go freshen up, why?" She looked at him suspiciously. He seemed a bit nervous for some reason.

Booth was nervous. Now that the awards were over, it was time to mingle and more importantly dance. He knew how popular his partner was going to be since she had missed cocktail hour and he didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to at least grab her for a dance.

"Oh, I was just going to go and get a drink. I'll walk you out."

He stood, rising up very close to her. He could almost feel the heat from her body. They shared an intense look, both holding their breaths at the electricity vibrating between them, before Booth held his arm out to guide her out of the hall.

Everyone at the table watched as they carefully weaved their way to the door.

Janet, Frank's wife, leaned over to Cam and asked, "Is it always like that between them?"

Cam smiled, slightly taken aback at the woman's observation. "Yes," she simply replied.

Janet smirked, whispering through the corner of her mouth, "They must have a fantastic sex life."

Cam nearly choked on the wine she had been sipping. _How could she possibly comment on that?_

She settled for honesty. "Actually, they're not together...well not yet anyway. It's complicated."

Janet looked at her dubiously. "Seems crystal clear to me!"

*****

Thoughts? Comments? I'd love to hear them!


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone - glad that you're still following this little story! Since we're on the cusp of the holidays, I won't be updating for the next couple of days, but I will be back to posting at the beginning of next week.

Hope you enjoy this installment until then. This chapter is where things start to get interesting... :)

Disclaimer: I don't own BONES, though I love all of the characters as if they were my own.

*****

**Part 9**

Booth parted ways with Brennan at the bar. As she turned toward the restroom, he asked if she wanted anything.

She replied, "Yes, actually, can you get me a cosmopolitan please?" She couldn't help but smile at his confident posture, leaning on the bar in his tux. What had Angela said? Like James Bond. Definitely.

As she walked away, he couldn't help but give in and admire her swaying form. He knew he shouldn't be looking at her like that, especially at a work function, but she just looked so damned amazing tonight. It was like she had weaved a spell and he was bewitched.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one. A quick glance to his left told him at least two other men had noticed her as well and were admiring her backside openly. Booth gritted his teeth uncomfortably as he turned to the barman to put in his drink order. He couldn't help but overhear their ensuing conversation.

"Hey, wasn't that Temperance Brennan? Man, she is something to look at, no?"

The other guy smirked as he replied leeringly, "I'd like to do more than just look! I wonder if she's as feisty as they say she is." The look in his eyes gave no question as to what he was thinking about.

Booth grabbed his drink and took a quick swig, biting hard on a piece of ice to keep himself from saying anything. He had no right to punch the guy out, but he definitely wanted to.

Their conversation painfully reminded him that she was a desirable woman, not only to himself but to other red-blooded men. He had to do something about it. The feelings and attraction he was feeling towards her were getting too much to ignore. He found himself constantly banishing impure thoughts and restraining himself from touching her the way a beautiful woman should be touched. He was pining and it had to stop, if only for his sanity. If he could manage it, something had to change, and tonight.

He took another swig of his drink for some liquid courage, signalling to the bartender for another round as he noticed her walking back towards him. She had reapplied her lipstick. It was a shimmery hue that accentuated her lips. It was all he could look at. Steeling himself, he tried to focus. Here was his first chance.

As she met him at the bar, he made to put his hand on her back, but not so casually continued his embrace by wrapping his arm around her and grabbed her waist possessively. He smiled indulgently at her as he handed her her drink. "Hey Bones, here's your drink," he murmured softly as she turned into his embrace.

Brennan looked carefully at her partner as she quietly took her glass. She was having a difficult time putting together a coherent response with his arm around her. The heat from his hand on her waist radiated to her belly. It seemed like an intimate gesture, but it was alarmingly comfortable. She accepted it wholeheartedly.

She murmured back, "Thanks Booth.," smiled that sweet half-smile of hers, then carefully took a sip of the pink drink. He couldn't stop staring at her glossy lips as she placed them on the glass.

"Mmm…the bartender knows what he's doing. This cosmopolitan is superbly mixed."

She glanced at him over the rim of her glass. He still hadn't let go of her waist and the sensation was more intoxicating than the drink.

He smiled with only eyes for her, then indicated with his finger towards the hall, "Shall we get back to the festivities?" He wanted to be the first to get her on the dance floor.

Glancing back at the darkened room, she reluctantly nodded her head. This was the first chance her and Booth had had to be alone and she was hesitant to give that up, but she knew they should return.

Booth kept his fingers firmly encircled around her side as he sent a piercing glance back at the two men at the bar, clearly marking his territory with his possessive movements. They in turn raised their eyebrows and saluted with their glasses.

His focus was interrupted by a male voice at his right.

"Special Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan! Congratulations on your achievements!"

The voice in question was from the new Assistant Deputy Director, Andrew Hacker.

Booth tried to put on a patient smile as he dropped his hand from her waist to stop and talk to his boss. Booth wasn't particularly impressed with the guy, but he had to pay his respects all the same.

Brennan responded first. "Thank you, Andrew."

She smiled politely and reached out to shake his hand in greeting.

Hacker took Brennan's outstretched hand and gently kissed the top of it, clearly still smitten by the brunette before him despite her recent reticence at seeing him again.

"Temperance, always a pleasure to see you. I missed you at the cocktail hour earlier," he smiled indulgently as he continued to hold her hand mid-air.

Booth cleared his throat as Brennan carefully withdrew her hand from Andrew's grasp.

He didn't give her a chance to respond, chiming in.

"We were at a crime scene just before this at the Smucker's factory in Virginia and got back late. Bones had to go clean up."

"Well, you clean up very nicely Temperance. You look lovely."

Hacker glanced indulgently at Brennan, making little effort to hide his appreciation of her appearance, making Booth grit his teeth with such force that his jaw ached. He wanted to get out of this conversation as fast as he could.

Brennan unintentionally blushed at his gaze. Admiration of her appearance usually made her happy, but for some reason this time it had made her feel uncomfortable. _I suppose Angela had been right about this dress…_she thought to herself. Trying to lighten the mood, she injected some humour into her response.

"Well, it certainly was a 'sticky' situation."

Both men chuckled at her pun. She exchanged a smile with Booth that did not go unnoticed by Andrew. Feeling a flash of jealousy, Andrew decided to make a move.

"Temperance, I was wondering if you would do me the honour of sharing a dance with me? The music has started and this is one of my favourite songs."

Brennan's eyes widened in surprise. She glanced at Booth who just stood there with an unreadable look on his face. Not sure what to do, she cleared her throat and smiled a little wistfully. "Of course," she said, accepting the offer.

Hacker turned to Booth and asked rather cockily, "Agent Booth, would you mind holding Temperance's drink for her?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Booth met Brennan's eye as he silently nodded and took her glass. He willed himself to not reveal his disappointment and frustration as he watched Hacker offer his arm to guide his partner back to the reception hall.

Brennan resisted the urge to glance back at Booth, wishing is was his arm she was holding and Booth's arms around her as she danced with his boss.

*****


	10. Chapter 10

Hey all,

Hope you had a lovely holidays for those of you that celebrate at this time of year. I know I did. Thanks again for all of the lovely comments and for those of you that have put this story on their alerts. It gives me warm fuzzies knowing you all are reading. :)

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own BONES, despite my requests to Santa. :)

*****

**Part 10 **

Booth tried to distract himself by going back to the bar and getting another drink. He wasn't driving tonight, so he figured he might as well take advantage of the free booze, especially when he had to contend with his irritating boss dancing with his irritating partner. _Scratch that…she wasn't irritating, in fact far from that. It's this situation that's irritating._ As if to add insult to injury, yet another source of irritation was approaching him in the form of Peyton Perotta.

He had to admit in the beginning there had been a small spark between them, and definitely some mild flirtation. At the time he had thought that it was nice to be noticed and appreciated as a man, but the attraction had quickly faded for him even before his coma. Since his coma and his ever-increasing feelings for Bones, her flirtation with him had become downright irritating. Unfortunately, it seemed she hadn't quite yet gotten the message that he wasn't interested.

Perotta sidled up next to Booth at the bar and gave him a sexy smile.

"Hey Booth., how's it going?"

Trying to be polite, he gave in to the conversation and responded, "Pretty good Peyton. You?"

"I've been keeping busy. Hacker's got me working with Demello these days, so I'm mostly out of D.C. How are your squints doing? I've kind of missed working with them – it's nice when the people you work with are a bit unpredictable and that bunch certainly is that!"

She grinned and took a large sip from her glass. There was something about this man that unsettled her. _Who was she kidding…it's because he's a great guy and he's gorgeous…_

Booth couldn't help but chuckle at her comment. "Unpredictable is definitely a good word to describe them. So are brilliant, irritating and slightly insane, but you can't deny their track record," he grinned proudly.

"Definitely," she smiled indulgently. Starring at his smile was like sunshine – you couldn't help but grin stupidly at how happy it made you feel.

She glanced around the foyer. "So where's the head squint herself, the good Dr. Brennan? I would have expected you and her to be cutting a rug in celebration by now."

Instantly, Booth's smile faltered at the mention of his partner's name. Trying to seem non-chalant, he replied, "Hacker ambushed us. She's out dancing with him."

Peyton had heard rumours that their new boss had a thing for Brennan. She supposed that the rumours were in fact real, given the uncomfortable look on Booth's face. This only bolstered her courage. Seeing an opportunity, she went for it.

"Well, since you appear to be free…"

She was interrupted by a boisterous holler from over her shoulder.

"Hey Peyton! Come do me a favour and dance with your partner! He's getting on my nerves!"

Two men walked up from behind. Booth recognized them as Chris Smith, another homicide agent and Vince Demello, Perotta's new partner. It was obvious that both had been taking advantage of the open bar.

Shaking her head at the two men she replied, "Well, I was just about to ask Booth here for one."

Booth smiled slightly. "No worries Perotta. Go dance with your partner. We'll catch up later."

She smiled at him regretfully before turning to the two others. "All right Demello, show me what you're made of. Do you even know how to lead a lady?"

Demello retorted back, "Who said anything about you being a lady!" as they walked back to the hall.

Their voices faded behind him as Booth turned back to the bar to pick up Brennan's glass. He decided to suck it up and go back to the table in hopes that she was finished dancing by now.

When he headed back he noted that Brennan wasn't back yet and Cam was sitting at the table by herself, nursing a glass of wine in her hands. She glanced up as he approached.

"I never pegged you for liking girly drinks, Seeley," Cam smirked as he sat down beside her.

"Don't call me Seeley, _Camille_. It's Brennan's," he sarcastically retorted as he put the glass down and glanced out onto the dance floor.

Knowing who he was looking for, she told him, "She's still dancing with Hacker."

Booth grunted as he looked down at the scotch on the rocks between his hands, starring moodily into the amber liquid.

Wanting to help her friend out, Cam put down her glass and stood up, offering her hand.

"Okay Big Man, I know what will cheer you up. Come dance with me. You can cut in on Hacker and offer me up as a sacrificial lamb."

He glanced up sheepishly at his friend and took her hand, thinking that she knew him too well and that her idea wasn't half bad.

Just as they got onto the dance floor the song changed and the crowd shifted to accommodate joiners and leavers. Unfortunately for Booth, it was at this point that Brennan and Hacker decided to follow the leavers, leaving him and Cam behind on the dance floor. Not wanting to be rude, Booth turned his attention back to his former girlfriend and smiled wistfully.

"Thanks Cam," he whispered gruffly, as he guided her masterfully through a waltz.

She smiled back encouragingly. "No worries. What are friends for? I forgot how great of a dancer you are!"

He grinned at the compliment. "You wanna have some fun?"

She laughed and replied, "Show me what you've got, G-Man!" and he sent her out for a turn.

Little did he know that Brennan was watching from the sidelines, staring wistfully at the laughing pair.

*****


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for not updating yesterday...real life got in the way. We're slowly getting to that dance, I promise. We just have to get through a few more distractions. ;)

*****

**Part 11 **

And so the evening continued as a series of missed opportunities for the two partners. Every time Booth would attempt to ask Brennan out onto the dance floor, something or someone interrupted them. After dancing with Cam, he headed back to their table only to find Brennan in a deep conversation about certain plot points from her latest book with Janet Stevens and a cluster of other wives who were huge Brennanites. Booth was roped into a conversation with Frank about the "good old days" in Narcotics, and by the time he extracted himself, Brennan has been whisked away by Cam, Daisy, and Perotta to go get drinks at the bar. Booth tried to wait it out, then made the mistake of going to the washroom, and by the time he got back, Charlie was dancing with her. _Charlie!_ _He was going to have to have a talk with that guy come Monday…_

Finally at some point nearing the end of the evening, he managed to get a few minutes alone with her. She was just walking off the dance floor after her second dance with Hacker, when Booth determinedly hooked her arm, apologizing to his boss as he pulled Brennan to his side.

"Sorry Sir, but I need to talk to Dr. Brennan a moment. Work stuff, you understand?"

Hacker smiled patiently and nodded as he relinquished his hold on her arm.

"Sure, of course. That's why you two are the best, no?"

They both smiled and nodded as he turned to go. Booth waited until he was out of earshot before turning to his beautiful partner. He stood very close to her, face to face.

"Booth, what is it? Did Wendell call about the remains? Do we need to head back to the lab?" She had a twinkle in her eye, the one that she always got when they were getting somewhere with a case. He loved that twinkle A LOT.

"What? No, nothing like that. Wendell hasn't called, I lied so I could get to talk to you for a few minutes. We've barely spoken all night." He looked at her with a mixture of sheepishness and intensity that was both enthralling and endearing.

"So you lied to your boss just so you could talk to me? Booth, we talk every day!"

She tilted her head and smiled at him with her adorable half-smile, the one she used when she was trying to understand something. It made him want to just lean in and give in to all of the feelings he'd been feeling, but he didn't. He couldn't. Instead, he answered her question.

"That's true, Bones, but we haven't even had a chance to celebrate our award together! Come and at least have a drink with me? Then, I'll let you get back to whatever you want to do. Yeah?"

He looked at her hopefully with his puppy-dog eyes. She didn't stand a chance.

She grabbed his outstretched arm and proceeded to let him guide her towards the bar. They almost made it to the foyer, but sadly were accosted by Dr. Zimmerman, the administrator from the Jeffersonian. Apparently there were some prominent individuals in attendance that wanted to meet the great Dr. Brennan, and he didn't want to miss out on a great public relations - and more importantly - a great funding opportunity.

Turning to Booth, Brennan smiled regretfully and said, "I'm really sorry Booth, but I'm going to have to talk to these people. I suppose it's one of the down-sides to being so successful in two separate professional forums."

Booth couldn't help but chuckle at his partner's unabashed self-praise. He placed his hand over hers that was still gripping his arm and looked her in the eyes. He wanted to make sure he didn't lose his opportunity before the end of the night.

"Okay Bones, you can go wow the higher-ups with your vast knowledge, but I'll only let you go if you promise me you'll save the last dance for me." He stared intently into her dazzling blue eyes. "Promise me," he whispered huskily.

His request momentarily took her breath away. She swallowed in anticipation, then responded.

"I promise. The last dance is yours." She smiled brightly and squeezed his arm before turning to join Dr. Zimmerman and his colleagues.

Booth went to go wait things out at the bar, trying to bolster his confidence with another drink. He had kept his drinking pace slow but steady, so he was comfortable but far from intoxicated…at least not by alcohol. _Those blue eyes though…they are intoxicating…_

His blue-eye musings were interrupted by a voice from behind.

"Hey Seeley, care to cash in on that raincheck?"

It was Perotta, and she was clearly tipsy. It was almost the end of the evening. Not wanting to be rude, he played dumb instead.

"Perotta…what am I supposed to be cashing in on?"

Smiling, she replied, "Your dance with me. I'm here to collect, and I won't take no for an answer."

Alcohol had definitely bolstered her confidence to talk to him. She was demanding a dance and he could see she wasn't going to back down. He glanced at his watch – it was 12:40 am. If he played his cards right, he could get through one song with Perotta before seeking out Bones for their promised last dance. Sighing, he gave in.

"Sure Perotta. Lead the way."

*****

Thoughts? Send them my way...I love to hear what you're thinking...


	12. Chapter 12

Hmm...I'm interested to see how you'll all react after reading THIS chapter, given your reactions in the last few... :)

*****

**Part 12**

The dance with Perotta was anything but comfortable. She was somewhat tipsy from all of the drinks she'd had, so her coordination was lousy, and the liquid courage had afforded her some brashness she otherwise would have undoubtedly kept in check.

Trying to put some distance between them for the third time in as many minutes, Booth moved her hand from his waist back to his shoulder. He was quickly losing his patience glancing around at every turn, trying to spot his conversing partner.

"Seeley, you're not being a very attentive dance partner."

To emphasize her claim, she turned his face with her hand, clumsily grasping it with sloppy fingers.

With a frustrated sigh, Booth turned his attention back to the woman in his arms. Her eyes were glazed over and she was trying yet again to close the distance between them by leaning closer and trying to rub her hips suggestively against him.

Having had enough but not wanting to be a cad, Booth stopped dancing mid-stride and turned to her saying, "Look Peyton, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you've been drinking a lot and I think I should call you a cab. This thing's almost over anyway."

Perotta pouted exaggeratedly at this statement, but decided it wasn't over until it was over. Looking up in what she hoped was a pitiful face, she sighed and slowly nodded her head and said, "You're probably right. Could you do me a huge favour and walk me out to get my coat?"

Booth, ever the gentleman, nodded, "Sure," and started leading her back to the foyer.

*****

Meanwhile, Brennan was trying to politely extricate herself from the monotonous conversation she was currently having with a physiologist from Harvard. Apparently he was a huge fan of her work, and no matter how many times she tried to end the conversation, he just simply struck up another topic. Glancing at her watch for the fourth time, she ran out of patience and interrupted him mid-speech.

"As I was saying, your commentary on the necessity for-"

"Excuse me? Dr. Cameron? It's 12:45 am and I promised my partner that I would dance the last dance with him, and while your interest in my work is appreciated, I am not the type of person to be impressed by mere flattery. Have a good night," and she promptly walked out of the foyer and into the reception hall.

Over the speakers she heard the band leader saying, "Well ladies and gentlemen, we hope you've had a wonderful evening, and we wish all of the award recipients a sincere thanks for keeping our streets that much safer. As our evening is winding down, please grab a partner to enjoy the last two dances of the night. Goodnight!"

Half-way towards their table, she ran into Cam.

"Hey Cam, have you seen Booth? We're supposed to dance together for the last dance."

Booth had told Cam about his proposition to Brennan, so she wasn't surprised by the statement, though she was surprised by Brennan's eagerness to find her partner.

"You just missed him. I just saw him walking with Perotta back to the foyer."

There was no mistaking the brief look of discomfort on Brennan's face at hearing who her partner was with, but she managed to get control of her emotions enough to thank Cam before turning towards the foyer.

*****

Perotta had managed to convince Booth to help her get her coat at the coat check, which was tucked away in the far corner of the foyer. He had already called her a cab which she definitely needed since she was swaying on her feet.

"Booth, could you help me with my coat?" she asked seemingly innocently, all the while planning her next move.

Perotta seemed unwilling to move more than she had to, so Booth reluctantly took her coat and draped it over her shoulders while facing her.

It was then that she made her move.

While he was fixing her coat, she leaned into him unabashedly and placed a not so chaste kiss on his mouth. To any outside observer, it looked like a tender and passionate kiss. Booth was taken completely by surprise. It took him a moment to realize what she was doing, then he promptly pushed her off of him, berating Perotta for even trying to seduce him.

Unfortunately, the damage was already done. Brennan had been looking for Booth and he came into her line of sight just as Perotta had leaned in.

At the sight of her partner being kissed in such a way, she felt the world tilt on its axis. It felt like she had been kicked in the stomach. Turning away from what she thought was a private moment between her partner and another woman, she quickly made her way back to the table to get her things to leave.

*****

Too evil of a cliffie? I tried to warn you about the distractions... :)


	13. Chapter 13

Hey all,

Okay, I'm sorry this is a short one, but I feel like we need to see Booth's perspective on things before we can move on to how he deals with it. We're getting close people...

Thanks again so much for the support!

*****

**Part 13**

Booth pushed Perotta off of him. She tasted like vodka. It wasn't pleasant. Gripping both of her arms to steady her and keep her at arm's length, he said exasperatedly, "Perotta! What the hell! That was totally out of line!"

Smiling demurely, she replied with a purr.

"Take it easy Booth! I was just trying to show you what you've been missing out on."

He let go of her and took a step back.

"Obviously I haven't been missing much."

He knew it was harsh but she needed a bit of a wake-up call at this point. None of his other more subtler messages had gotten through.

Chastened at his statement, Perotta tried to compose herself, putting her coat on properly.

Booth turned to go, but said over his shoulder, "I've called you a cab. It should be here any minute."

He walked back towards the reception hall, not bothering to look back.

As he entered the hall, he noticed many couples on the dance floor. Others were gathering their things and preparing to leave, as the last song had already started. Hurrying towards their table, he only found Cam, who was gathering her things.

"Hey Cam, do you know where Bones is?"

Looking pointedly at her friend, she grabbed her shawl from the table and gave him the bad news.

"She left for the night."

This caught Booth off-guard. _Surely she would have at least waited for me?_

"She came looking for you and I had told her I had seen you go to the lobby with Perotta. She came back a few minutes later, clearly upset by something, in a big hurry to leave. I asked her where you were and she told me that you were with Agent Perotta and she didn't want to disturb you, so could I please tell you that she was tired and that she had decided to go home."

Booth groaned and brought his hand to his face as he realized what she must have seen. _Of all the things to happen…_!

"Seeley, I don't know what it was that she saw, but she looked really upset and I've rarely seen her in that kind of state."

Wincing, he told Cam what happened.

Her response was simple.

"Oooo, crap. That's bad. All I can say is, if you have any intention of pursuing that woman, you have to go fix this with her, and now!"

She paused, staring at him as he came to the same conclusion.

"Well, what are you still standing here for? Go find her!"

*****

Next two chapters are what you've been waiting for... :D


	14. Chapter 14

Hey All,

This chapter and the next were originally one big chapter but I had decided to split it up. I'm posting this story on another website, and for them I posted both chapters in one day, so I've decided to do the same here, so make sure to click forward for Part 15 too!

As promised...here the dance begins...

*****

**Part 14**

Brennan clumsily put her keys in the lock as she opened the door to her apartment, then walked straight to her armchair and collapsed into it, not even bothering to take off her shoes. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, trying desperately to push down the swirling emotions rising in her chest at the images passing behind her eyelids.

_The secluded corner…Perotta leaning into Booth…that kiss…_

She knew there was no use thinking about it. She should have known something was going on. Booth had been acting more distant in recent weeks. Agent Perotta was probably the reason why.

She tried to categorize her feelings. _What exactly am I feeling?_ If she were honest with herself, the most accurate answer to that question would be jealousy mixed with disappointment.

_Disappointment? Why would I be disappointed?_

_Temperance, you know the answer to that question, you just don't want to admit why…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door.

Opening her eyes, she considered not answering it for a second, then gave in and dragged herself off the chair to jerk the door open, not bothering to check the peephole.

Booth stood in her doorway, arm in the air as if about to knock again, the look on his face unreadable.

They stood and just stared at each other a moment, trying to figure out what the other was thinking, before Brennan finally spoke.

"Booth, what are you doing here?" Her voice showed her wariness and resignation. She crossed her arms and waited for his response.

He ran a hand across the back of his neck before sheepishly looking up at her.

"You ran off before we could have the last dance." He raised his eyebrows and tried smiling slightly, leaning his arm against the door jam to try and look casual but also to prevent her from shutting the door on him.

Brennan sighed and responded, "Booth, I told Cam to tell you that I went home." She paused, fighting the grimace from the bad taste forming in her mouth as the image of him and Perotta flashed through her mind.

"I saw you…with Agent Perotta." She looked down, not able to fully meet his eyes fearing he would see the embarrassment and hurt in her eyes.

He saw it anyway and his heart contracted painfully.

Unable to stop herself, she blurted out, "You should have just told me that you were pursuing a relationship with her. I would have gladly relinquished my dance with you. I saw you together and I didn't want to interrupt, so I left."

Having sufficiently steeled herself, she looked back up at him directly.

"Look Booth, I am really very tired, so if you don't mind, I have a really long day ahead of me tomorrow and I'd like to go to bed now. Goodnight." She tried to close the door as she said goodnight, but he raised his other hand to block her from closing the door.

His heart was thumping in his chest with panic. He couldn't let the evening end this way. He had to fix this.

"Bones, hold up a minute. Can I just have five minutes of your time?" He tried giving her his wistful half-charm, half-pout smile. It almost always made her cave.

Resigned that he wasn't going to let her close the door, she just left him in the doorway as she turned back to the sitting area. Booth let himself in and closed the door as she sat on her couch, curling her legs up under her with her head propped up by her elbow, waiting for him.

Booth knew that he had to find a way to explain what had happened. He knew that him and Bones weren't involved but despite that his heart was. In a way he knew how bad things might have looked, and he knew he would have reacted much more irrationally if it had been her he had caught entangled with another man. Just that thought alone made him queasy. He went and sat in the chair opposite her and leaned forward, trying to get her to meet his eyes.

She set her jaw and looked at him pointedly, waiting for him to speak his mind. At this point she just wanted to curl up in the fetal position, fight the constriction in the back of her throat, and go to sleep.

He got lost for a moment, looking into her eyes. Despite the impatience he saw, he could also see that her eyes were troubled. She was fighting hard to maintain her composure, and he knew that she was upset.

Suddenly, he made a decision.

He stood up and held his hand out to her. She stared blankly at his hand, then steeled herself and looked up at him.

"What do you want Booth?"

Refusing to break their gaze, Booth showed a ghost of a smile, then simply said, "I'm here to collect on my dance, Bones."

*****


	15. Chapter 15

**Part 15**

Brennan momentarily dropped her poker-face and looked at him in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

Booth looked pointedly at her, raising his eyebrows in earnest. "I was really looking forward to dancing with you tonight. You owe me that last dance Bones, so please just take my hand and humour me."

Brennan looked up at him again, trying to figure out why he was doing this. She closed her eyes momentarily, then asked him that exact question, "Why are you doing this?" Her eyes were almost fearful.

Not wanting to answer that question just yet, he simply looked into her eyes with intent and huskily said, "Please?"

Wanting to resist, but knowing she was powerless to do so when he had that look on his face, she swallowed the butterflies rising into her throat and took his hand.

"Ha! Atta girl!" he grinned at his small triumph and pulled her out of her seat. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint me!"

He turned toward her CD collection to find the right song. He had a feeling she would have it, and he turned out to be right.

He held up the CD case and grinned, "See, you even have the song that they played at the gala."

He popped in the CD into the player, then turned to her with his arms open.

When the initial guitar peals of Eric Clapton's _Wonderful Tonight _echoed through her apartment, Brennan groaned. She looked hesitantly at him.

"Booth, I don't know…it's really late…"

He cut her off by stepping right up to her and taking her into his arms. Looking intently into her eyes, he gruffly whispered, "Just humour me, okay?" a pleading look on his face.

Unable to resist even if she wanted to, she took a breath to calm herself and let it out as a sigh, then stepped forward, stepping out of her shoes, one by one, maintaining eye contact as she settled into his arms. Booth's breath caught in his throat. There was something irresistibly sexy about his partner in bare feet. Without her shoes on, her forehead came up just to the height of his chin. Moving closer into his arms, she looked off to the side, unable to meet his eyes again. As the song started its opening verse, she tried to stay in a formal dance position, keeping space between them as they slowly began to shuffle to the music.

"_It's late in the evening…she's wondering what clothes to wear…"_

Booth knew that she was trying to put distance in to protect herself, and he wouldn't have it. If he was going to get this one chance to dance with her and hold her in his arms, he was going to make sure they both enjoyed it. He carefully tightened his grip on her, moving his arm from her shoulder blades down to her waist. She involuntarily moved her whole body closer, her mouth a whisper away from his ear, so that he could feel her breath on his neck. It sent a shiver down his spine. Holding her like this was ecstasy.

The song's lyrics ran playfully through his mind. "_Darling, you look wonderful tonight…"_

After a few moments of resisting, Brennan finally gave in to the gentle sway of Booth's body and the music and let herself melt into him. She moved her hand from his shoulder to around the back of his neck, and placed her head gently against his chin. The stubble from his 5 o'clock shadow grazed her skin deliciously, sending a thrill through her body.

The sensation of Brennan's soft skin against his chin, so temptingly close to his lips was unbelievable. Without conscious thought, Booth gently pulled her even closer, wanting to revel in the feel of her body against him, her silky hair against his skin, her satiny dress gliding softly against his suit, the edge of his lips grazing gently against her forehead. He fought to keep from gently kissing her temple, because he knew that if he did, he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop.

"_Yes I feel wonderful tonight…"_

Brennan was fighting hard to maintain some level of composure. Booth was holding her in a way she had never been held before and while it thrilled her, it also scared her. The feelings that were stirring inside of her were getting harder and harder to contain. She was trying to analyze the situation, but no rational thought was coming to her. All she could think was how wonderful it felt to be held by him.

As they swayed together, the gentle lyrics in the background suddenly came into the foreground, ringing true in both of their ears.

"_The wonder of it all is that you just don't realize how much I love you…"_

Both held their breaths, not wanting the other to hear the sudden pounding in each other's hearts as the admission from the song rang through them. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Brennan pulled away slightly and took a deep breath, trying to re-establish some space between them. Her brain was swirling with dozens of thoughts…_Was this really the song that had played at the gala? Or did Booth specifically pick this one to dance to? Why did he really want to dance with me? Why am I reacting like an irrational teenager all of a sudden? Why is my body reacting to his every touch, and aching when he removes the touch? Why does it suddenly feel like I love him?_

And then came the irrationally rational thought: _It feels like I love him because I DO love him._

Her intake of breath sounded more like a whimper in her ears. _What do I do?_

While Brennan was lost in thought, Booth too was caught up in his own world. He inhaled deeply, taking in her heady scent that was uniquely her, relishing in the feeling of being able to freely hold her for the moment. The pain that had started in his chest had still not gone away, nor had his persistent feelings for her. No matter how hard he tried to push them down, it was moments like these when he was close to her that he could not deny it. He loved her. He loved her so much it hurt. _What do I do?_

As the final notes of the song played through, Brennan gathered the courage to break away. She pulled back carefully, the loss of his arms around her waist making her ache with emptiness. She couldn't bring herself to break free completely, so she settled to having his arms around her arms. She briefly met his eyes before looking down at his tie.

Unable to stop himself from appreciating the vision in front of him, Booth looked her up and down, then gruffly whispered, "The song is right, you know…you do look wonderful tonight."

She glanced up at this and was momentarily frozen by the open admiration in his eyes.

"Better than wonderful. You look amazing…breathtaking really."

He took a deep breath and waited to see how she would respond.

She quietly gasped, overwhelmed by the confusion his words and gaze brought.

The question was spouting off her lips before she even had a chance to think.

"What are we doing here Booth?" she asked warily, unsure of how to put into words what she really wanted to know. Her heart was pounding, her breathing shallow, as she waited for his answer.

The deep intensity from his eyes cleared momentarily as he tried to bring a little levity to the intense situation.

"We're dancing, Bones," his lips lifted in a half-smile as if the answer to her question was obvious.

She nodded carefully as she finally pulled away, turning her back on him. As a distraction, she moved to turn off the stereo. _Dancing…dancing around each other…_She thought a moment about his answer, then looked directly into his eyes, her blue eyes swirling, piercing, and intense.

"Yes, dancing…I believe that is an appropriate euphemism for what is occurring here," she nodded her approval. The intensity of her gaze didn't seem to penetrate to Booth. Seeing the confusion cross her partner's face, she resigned from taking the conversation further.

She broke their stare and turned her head to the side, motioning behind her.

"Look, I'm really tired Booth, so if there's nothing else, I'm heading to bed."

Booth stared at her confusedly at the finality in her voice as she turned to go to her bedroom. _What just happened there? Did I miss something?_

"Bones?" he called out to her, making her pause.

"What, Booth?" she asked warily, refusing to turn to face him.

They stood in silence for a moment. When he didn't answer, she half turned to him and whispered, "I'm tired of dancing, Booth," her nostrils flaring slightly as she tried to keep herself from breaking down.

The meaning of her words made their impact.

_This had gone on long enough. It was now or never…_

In three large strides he met her toe to toe.

"Me too," he whispered, looking longingly into her eyes as he took her face with both hands and gently caressed one cheek before crushing his lips against hers in searing kiss.

*****

So...what did you think? Please tell me! I hope it lived up to expectations...


	16. Chapter 16

I am humbled by all of your lovely comments. Thank you very much!

I hope you don't mind, but I feel like they need to talk some stuff out before this story is completely finished.

So, who's ready for the aftermath of that kiss? :)

*****

**Part 16**

His kiss was insistent, slow but firm at first as he tried to convey the intensity of all of his feelings through their joined lips.

His hand moved to cradle the back of her head, his fingers threading through her silky hair, and he gave himself over to the tumultuous storm in his heart as it threatened to burst.

It took Brennan a moment to respond, and when he felt her move her lips, he eased the pressure on them just enough to see what she would do. She chose to return the intensity back to him, grabbing him by the lapel with one hand as she expertly kissed him back, allowing their lips to mingle and caress. Brennan unconsciously slipped her tongue briefly along the edge of Booth's lips and he opened them willingly, not bothering to subdue the groan in the back of his throat as he felt her tongue graze his tongue and then the roof of his mouth. He drew her even closer to him as he pulled her bottom lip and suckled on it for a moment before moving on to her upper lip. She tasted more amazing than he could have ever imagined.

Brennan literally felt drunk off of the feelings the kiss was stirring within her. All rational thought flew out of her mind as she revelled in the sensations he was evoking. She knew it would be good when they finally gave in, but she never knew just how phenomenal it could be.

They nipped and nibbled on each other's lips, savouring and tasting each other, before finally giving in to the need for air as they reluctantly parted. As they slowly pulled away, Booth rested his forehead on hers, keeping his eyes closed to savour the moment as he let himself catch his breath. Brennan glanced at him before doing the same, as a knot suddenly formed in her throat. She had never experienced a kiss that evoked such emotion in her as this one did. It was somewhat overwhelming, but the security of Booth's forehead against her own and his hands caressing her face grounded her and kept the rising waves of insecurity at bay.

They stood there like that, forehead to forehead, Brennan's hand on Booth's thumping heart, breathing deeply for who knows how long, letting the emotional implications of what just happened wash over them. Neither of them wanted to break the magic of the moment, but both knew that they needed to talk. It was Booth who spoke first.

"I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do that," he whispered gruffly, finally willing his eyes to open to her beautiful face as he stroked her cheek gently with his thumb.

Looking back at him, she visibly swallowed her nerves down as she throatily replied, "Why didn't you?" Her blue eyes glittered with an intensity he had never seen before, and it made his breath catch, stirring emotions inside him he'd long kept sublimated.

_It was time to let those emotions out._

Staring intently into her eyes, he took her hand that was on his chest, then looked down at their joined hands. He gently brushed her knuckles with his thumb before looking back into her eyes searchingly.

Instead of answering her question, he tugged on her hand and responded,

"Why don't we sit down and talk for a bit?"

Wordlessly she nodded, her nostrils flaring from the emotions she was trying desperately to keep in check.

He held her hand as he guided her back to her couch, seating himself on an angle so that he could face her and still hold her hand, their knees brushing together. There was a moment's pause as neither one of them really knew where to start this long overdue conversation. Booth continued to stare down at their joined hands, appreciating the simplicity of being able to stroke her skin. Brennan stared intently at Booth as he seemingly brooded, wondering with trepidation what he was thinking.

_Is he regretting what just happened? Is he going to take it back? What if I made a mistake, telling him how I feel?_

"Booth?" she ventured tentatively, her voice catching in her throat over the emotions she was feeling. She looked to him with almost terrified eyes, hoping that she was wrong, that he was just as overwhelmed and excited as she was.

At the catch in her throat, he finally looked up into the brilliant eyes of his partner. He could tell she was scared - _was she scared of what just happened, or scared of where it was all going to go?_

He cleared his throat to push the knot away as he shuffled and leaned closer to her, never letting his chocolate brown gaze waver from hers. His voice came out in a gruff whisper.

"Bones, I…"

He sighed in frustration over not knowing how to put into words exactly what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her he how he really felt as some thoughts came to mind:

_Bones,_ _I love you…I want to spend the rest of my life with you…I want us to have little Brennan-Booth babies…_

Obviously he couldn't start the conversation there. His last attempt at professing his love had failed miserably. Given that experience, she might not believe him without some further explanation. Instead he went for a different tactic.

"I…I'm not with Perotta."

At the use of her name, Brennan visibly recoiled and tried to pull back.

Her instant thought was: _How could he bring her up at a time like this?!_

Her face immediately shut down and she tried to pull her hand away, but Booth held onto it as if for dear life. This wasn't going the way he wanted it to go. He hurried on.

"What I mean to say - what you need to know is that I have no interest in her, and what you saw was circumstantial, and isn't at all a reflection of any involvement with her, personal or otherwise. Trust me, she'll probably never speak to me again after that stunt. I made sure to put her in her place."

Brennan nodded slowly, wanting to believe him but warily trying to protect her heart. Booth had never been a liar, and she saw no reason why he would start now. Still, the mention of that witnessed moment stung. It would be a mental image that would be difficult to erase.

Swallowing down her negative thoughts, she tried to reassure him. Tentatively, she replied,

"I believe you." It was the best she could do.

He could tell she was still very much bothered by that moment, but her faith in him bolstered his confidence, if only slightly. He decided to plough on, come what may. He stared intently into her eyes.

"Bones, I need us to be open and clear about what's going on between us here. I need to know that what just happened isn't some 'fulfillment of biological urges' for you, that it was as important to you as it was to me. What are you feeling?"

Brennan's eyes widened at the question being pointed at her. She wasn't used to organizing her thoughts according to feelings, but rather rationalizing and categorizing them according to fact. Booth was asking her to take a leap from her comfort zone, but she knew the rewards in this case might be far greater than the consequences. She knew this moment was important. Blatantly ignoring her flight response and the voice of reason in the back of her mind, she dove in, trying to answer his question as best as she could.

"What am I feeling? To be honest, I am…overwhelmed. I don't think I can accurately describe the tumultuousness and complexity of what I am feeling right now. "

She paused for a moment, gathering her courage.

"However, what I can tell you for certain is that my sentiments are not a passing phase, that I have been carrying them for quite some time, and that I thoroughly enjoyed that kiss and intend to repeat it with you some time in the very near future."

*****

I'm reaching the point where I've almost run out of pre-written material, so I will be updating a little less frequently, probably once every 3 days. We've still got a few more chapters to go. :)


	17. Chapter 17

Thanks so much for sticking with me...I hope you don't mind me going a little beyond "the dance."

Disclaimer: BONES characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for a while to get them to do what I want. :)

*****

**Part 17**

Booth's eyes softened at her attempts to express her "sentiments." He knew how hard it was for her to even say that much, and this encouraged him even more. Before anything though, he needed to make his intentions clear. He reached up with his free hand to caress her face once again.

"Bones, I need you to understand that I can't go back to the way things were, with all that's been building between us. You mean way too much to me, and I can't go on hiding it anymore…"

His admission made her heart soar in hope and she wanted to reassure him in the most amenable way she could think of – using his own words in explanation.

"Booth, over the last few years you have told me many things about your views on feelings and relationships, and about finding happiness. You've told me that everything happens eventually, that sometimes I have to use both my brain and my heart, that one day I will find someone who I'm meant to spend the rest of my life with, that one day I will believe in love that is transcendent and eternal, and that it will be worth everything associated with it, good and bad.

I have to be honest and say that while I've remembered all of these things that you've told me, none of it felt pertinent until we found out about your brain tumour and when you were in that coma for four days."

She took a deep breath and continued.

"Seeing you, lying there, unable to wake, it made me realize many things about what you've come to mean to me. I realized that I'd been using my heart in secret for some time now, and that I unintentionally have come to believe that love is not as ephemeral as I've made it out to be, and that it is worth the pain if you get even a little bit of joy from it. My story…the one that you dreamed and I erased? It was a reflection of all of the things that I wanted for myself…in a life with you…"

At her choked up admission, Booth's heart soared at the meaning behind her words. _She loved him…_

He was staring at her in awe, searching her face. A smile slowly crept into the corners of his mouth.

Brennan looked back at him, desperately trying to figure out what he was thinking and feeling. She hadn't expected him to be so silent. _What if she was wrong? What if he didn't feel the same way?_

"Booth, please say something."

The heart-wrenching sound of her voice brought him back to earth. The words he'd been dying to say for months, years even spilled freely from his mouth.

"Bones, I love you. I've loved you for a long time now."

He caressed her face as he stared into her beautiful blue eyes, his own sparkling with the way hers lit up at his admission. As he leaned in closer, she felt a pressing need to confirm his feelings one last time.

"Really? Are you sure? Because I don't know if I could handle it if you weren't…"

Booth closed the distance between their lips, kissing her with a passionate abandon as only two newly found lovers could produce. He suckled on her lips as a man dying of thirst and she was his only source of refreshment. He pulled her as close as he could, wrapping his arm around her waist, his arduous kiss literally taking her breath away, leaving no lingering doubts about his feelings for her.

"Oh Bones…" he gasped as he paused for breath, threading his fingers through her now tousled hair, trying desperately to keep control of his increasing desire for her. He wanted nothing else than to take her to her room and make passionate love to her and erase all lingering doubts from her mind that he wanted her in every way imaginable – in his heart, in his life, and in his bed…forever.

Despite these feelings, the voice of reason in his head surprisingly won over. He knew that they needed a bit of time to process all of these admissions, and he also knew he wanted way more than a couple of hours to express physically what he truly felt.

Stroking his hand indulgently across her cheek, then down her shoulders and arm to rest at her waist, he opened his eyes. Brennan was staring back at him, her eyes heavy with awoken desire. She wanted him the same way he wanted her, he was certain. He was as certain of that as he was certain she would accept his logical reasoning.

With a gruff and throaty voice, he spoke.

"Bones, there is nothing I would rather do right now than to continue proving to you how I feel about you and about this," as he tenderly pulled her closer, "but it's well after 4 am and we both should probably be up in a couple of hours to deal with those remains we brought in. I say we work hard so we can play hard later…what do you think?"

Brennan blinked for a full moment, trying to coherently grasp what he was saying, having truly been stupefied by the overwhelming desire running through her after that kiss. Booth certainly was an excellent kisser, and she couldn't wait to find out how well that transferred to the bedroom…even just his hand on her waist distracted her immensely. Forcing herself to focus, she realized he brought up some valid points regarding the status of their current case and the impending timeline. Resignedly, she had to agree.

"Yes, I see your point, though I sincerely regret having to stop when we've only just gotten started."

She stroked her fingers across his abdomen, causing him to groan once again. She could certainly get used to evoking that sound from him often.

"Bones, you're not making this easy!"

She leaned in, bolstered by his reaction, and kissed him soundly on the lips.

"What was it you said? Work hard now, play harder later?"

"Yeah," he responded breathlessly.

"I'll see you in a few hours then," she told him with a saucy smile on her face, before guiding him to the door.

"Definitely," he replied, before leaning in one last time for a kiss that spoke volumes about how hard they would be playing later.

*****


	18. Chapter 18

Okay, first off, I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I'm really very sorry. Real life has gotten in the way and I've had to put this story on pause for the last two weeks. Rest assured, I know where it's going, so there will be an end, I promise. :)

Hope you enjoy this new addition...

*****

**Part 18**

Brennan had been trying to focus on reconstructing the skull in front of her for the last 30 minutes. Normally, the bones would have her undivided attention, but all morning her mind had inevitably wandered back to the events of the previous night.

_Booth's hands at her waist…his warm lips enveloping her own…_

At the moment, her focus was particularly divided, since he was actually in her presence; she could barely fix her eyes on the pieces in front of her when all she could do was feel Booth's eyes on her.

After Booth had left last night, she had tried to go to sleep, but thoughts of him and what had happened swirled relentlessly through her mind. She was very excited at the new development in their relationship, but the thought of its impact on everything was quite overwhelming. After three hours of fitful sleep, she gave up and got ready to go to the lab. She thought that at least at the lab she could use her time productively. Plus, she reasoned, the sooner they moved forward on this case, the sooner she and Booth could spend some quality time to figure out where they were at.

Wendell had already cleaned the bones, so she was able to put together the skeleton fairly well, despite the damage inflicted on the skeleton. A cursory examination revealed a male in his thirties with trauma to the ribs and arms, indicating the victim was most likely beaten with his arms held behind his back. The skull was partially fragmented, and so in order to get an ID, she began working on putting the cranium back together. All of her productive focus shifted, however, when Booth appeared wanting to take her to lunch.

Not quite satisfied with her progress, she had shooed him away distractedly, insisting she needed to finish the skull first so that Angela could start working on a facial reconstruction. Since then she'd been having a hard time completing her task, since instead of making himself scarce, Booth had chosen to wait upstairs on the balcony. He was watching her, and it was making her skin tingle.

Finally, after 40 minutes, she had enough put together to hand the skull over to Angela. Fortunately, Angela was out for lunch herself, so she didn't have to face a continuance of the third degree from her best friend about the night before. She had managed to avoid telling Angela what had happened.

Climbing the stairs to the balcony, she found Booth nursing a coffee in his hands while leaning against the railing, watching the squints buzzing around below.

"Hi," Brennan said shyly, not really sure how to address him.

Booth turned to look at his partner, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Hi," he answered simply, taking the time to appreciate the woman in front of him.

They stood, just staring at each other for a second, not really sure how to go on.

Brennan broke the ice first.

"You still want to grab lunch?"

Booth slowly walked over to her, stopping just in front of her, a goofy smile on his face.

"Yeah, I could definitely eat. You ready to go?"

Brennan replied, his smile contagious, "Yes, let me just get my things."

As they walked down the stairs together, Brennan asked him how his morning was. He had spent it interviewing the manager at the jam factory as well as several employees. He had gotten some information, but they'll need the ID before they can move further.

When they got to her office, he helped her on with her coat as usual, but this time both were aware of the frisson passing between them when his hands brushed her shoulders as he helped her with her jacket. His fingers lingered at her shoulders just a fraction longer than necessary. Booth was just itching to caress her skin, but he stopped himself, knowing that Brennan wouldn't want him to at work without them having set some ground rules first. That was one of many things they needed to talk about.

"So, the usual? Diner?"

While he had been waiting for her, he had thought about where they should continue their talk. He had decided that it would probably best to go somewhere that afforded a bit more privacy.

:How about the Founding Fathers? I'm in the mood for some pub food."

Brennan nodded in agreement as he placed his hand at the usual place on the small of her back. This time, though, it didn't feel as usual, and she suddenly realized how intimate the gesture could actually be. She glanced quickly at him to see if it held the same effect for him, but he seemed his usual jovial self.

*****

Booth had made a point to choose a table tucked away in a secluded corner. It afforded as much intimacy as a busy pub could offer, and it was far enough away from the din of the lunch rush that they could have a real conversation. That, and if anyone they knew came in, they were unlikely to single them out and interrupt.

As they settled into their seats, having already selected their meals, Booth decided that now was the time to really get things started.

He looked at her as she put her menu down, and instinctively grabbed her hand that was resting on the table.

She gasped at the touch, glancing around to see if anyone at the bar had noticed, but life around them went on as usual.

"I have to be honest…I couldn't sleep last night Bones."

His voice was deep and husky, giving her a renewed thrill as her skin broke out into goosebumps.

Last night she had decided that she wouldn't run from this, whatever had exploded between them. She determinedly kept his gaze, and tremulously agreed.

"I couldn't either. I ended up giving up and going to the lab early."

She half-smiled in that sheepish way of hers when she was unsure about something. It came out so rarely, but when it did, it made Booth's heart melt all the more.

"Yeah, I ended up going for a really long run to try and clear my head."

His smile was easy at first, but turned serious when he continued.

"Bones, how do you want to handle this?"

"This?"

"Yeah, you know…_us_."

He stroked his thumb over her knuckles as he said it, and it made her stomach do summersaults.

She swallowed hard as her mouth went dry at his words and the simple sensation he was evoking.

_I can do this…I owe it to both of us to be honest and open with him._

"Well, given our mutual appreciation of the previous night's physical intimacies, as well as our admitted emotional investment, I would expect _us_ to begin pursuing a monogamous romantic relationship."

Booth could barely contain the grin that was creeping across his face. Temperance Brennan was talking about pursuing a _romantic_ relationship with _him_. He thought he would have never seen the day. He nodded in avid agreement.

"Good, I'm glad we're on the same page here."

He leaned in closer as he pulled her hand closer to him, forcing her to lean forward as well.

"So…where do we start?"

Brennan's eyes widened at the question.

"Booth, I know you've participated in relationships before. Surely you know how things typically proceed!"

"Bones, _nothing_ about our relationship is typical. We've been partners and friends for five years now. We work together. I know more about you than I do most people. We can't treat this like we just met, like a 'typical' couple starting out."

Brennan nodded her head in slow agreement. She definitely saw his point.

"What do you suggest?"

Booth sighed and tried to come up with an answer to the same thoughts that had been nagging at him since he left her apartment last night.

"Honestly? I've thought about what if we were to get together many times now. In the beginning, as soon as the thought crossed my mind I would banish it away because I felt like I shouldn't be thinking of you in that way. I mean, you're my partner and we work together. There's that professional line we just couldn't cross, plus…I didn't think you felt the same."

"Booth…" Brennan interrupted and shook her head.

"Wait Bones, let me finish. Since my coma…I don't know. Things changed for me. I got to see what it would be like to be with you, and it was so amazing – to feel loved by you, and to be able to express to you how I've really felt all this time…it was liberating. Then, when I woke up, it was like I was robbed, not only of my thoughts and ability to do things, but I felt like someone had taken my happiness away. Being 'just partners' and 'just friends' with you wasn't enough anymore. I want so much more.

I've thought a lot in the last 12 hours about how things might change between us if we got involved, and it struck me that we've sort of already gone through the motions of a relationship without actually having one. We already spend most of our free time together and genuinely enjoy each other's company. You've gotten to know my family, especially Parker, and I've gotten to know yours. We have some common interests, and we respect each other's differences, for the most part. Basically, the only thing we're really missing is the physical aspect of a relationship."

"That can easily be remedied," Brennan quipped.

"Bones!" Booth exclaimed, feigning outrage, meanwhile grinning at her innuendo.

"What? I was simply indicating that physical intimacy will not be a persisting issue. Given our reactions to each other last night, I would expect us to be very compatible, sexually."

She was pushing his buttons, seeing how he would react. She was expecting prudish Booth. He decided to surprise her. He let go of her hand and gently stroked her exposed forearm with his finger. It made all of the hairs on her arm stand on end.

"I have no doubts about that."

He gave her a cocky smile, then brushed his fingers across her palm, leaving her speechless.

*****


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi Everyone! **

***waves hands enthusiastically***

**I'm back, finally, after a ridiculously long writing hiatus. I am truly very sorry for taking this long to update. I've been busy with life, writing and studying for school. I can happily say that my hard work in that respect has finally paid off...my first scientific paper got accepted for publication! I'm very excited about it. :D**

**I have to also say that part of my absence has been due to my muse running out on me after reading certain spoilers. I took a break away from everything to regroup and calm down (which helped with coaxing the muse back), and so here is the product.**

**We're not at the end yet, but we're close. Hope you're still with me on this little story!**

**Disclaimer: BONES nor it's characters are mine, though sometimes I borrow them for a bit.  
**

*********

**Part 19**

The remainder of their meal passed amicably enough, as they chewed on their food and on the words that had been exchanged between them. They fell back into easier conversation as they talked some more about the case and what they would need to proceed as they gathered their things to head back to the Jeffersonian.

As Booth was standing to help Brennan on with her coat, he decided to broach another topic that had yet to be addressed. He took a moment to appreciate the thrill passing through him as her silky hair brushed against his fingers as he lifted it from under the lapels.

Leaning close to her, he made to put his arm at the small of her back, then continued further to grasp her waist as he tucked her close to him while they walked through the bar. Brennan felt the possessiveness of his movements, but for once decided not to comment on his alpha-male behaviour as her stomach flipped in secret delight.

"Bones," he started as they stepped out onto the street. "How do you feel about PDA?"

Stopping at his question, she turned to him and clarified. "PDA? As in public displays of affection or personal digital assistant?"

Smiling a slow charm smile, he answered, "PDA as in public displays of affection." He leaned in closer, his face hovering just millimetres from hers.

Brennan took the opportunity to provide evidence as her answer. Ignoring her surroundings, she closed the distance between them and kissed him firmly on the mouth, letting her lips conform to his in a brief, languid encounter that sent a zing of electricity through them.

She smiled saucily as she pulled away.

"Does that answer your question?"

Taking a second to recover, Booth swallowed then replied, "Uh, yeah…mostly, though I may need you to run that by me again later."

He grinned easily as he took a hold of her hand as they continued walking.

"Actually, where I was going with that question was more about our interactions when we're working. Obviously we need to maintain professionalism when working on a case, but what about the time in between? Like when you're at the lab, or like this right now when we're taking a break? I remember Angela saying you had rules about kissing men in your office."

Brennan chuckled at his mention of her office. She had had several fantasies involving Booth, her office, and more than just kissing. She tilted her head as though she was thinking seriously about his questions, then answered.

"It's true…I don't let just anyone kiss me in my place of work. Very few men have succeeded in that attempt."

She smiled in a way he could only interpret as her flirting with him, and he liked it. A lot.

"I agree that we must maintain professionalism while working. I would say that while we are working, either out in the field, at the Hoover, or at the lab, we should limit our 'PDA' as you would say to acceptable levels pertaining to work colleagues. However, I am not opposed to expression of physical intimacy under other circumstances such as those you've indicated. If we're on our own time, why wouldn't I want you kissing me?"

If it was possible, Booth grinned even wider than before at this statement. He squeezed her hand in appreciation.

"Okay…what about the squints? What do we tell them? Do you want to tell them? You know Angela's going to want to know everything."

Brennan grimaced slightly at the mention of her best friend. She had already been fending off questions earlier in the day. She knew that they wouldn't be able to hide it from her. She sighed reluctantly.

"Booth, didn't you once say that what happened between us was ours alone? I know that we can't keep it from them all for long, but…"

"…it would be nice if we could have a few days to ourselves," he completed her sentence with his same sentiment.

"Is that wrong?"

Booth smiled at her hesitation. "No, it's not wrong, Bones. I want you to myself too." He hadn't meant for his voice to dip huskily at the end, but at the thought of having her all to himself, he was blindsided by his need for her.

They needed to solve this case quick.

*****

Booth escorted Brennan back to her office, restraining himself from stealing a quick kiss before heading back to the Hoover. They had just agreed to keep things on the down-low and he didn't want to push his already burgeoning good luck.

On his way out, he swung by Angela's office to see if she had had a chance to finish her facial reconstruction of the victim. He stuck his head in her office, knocking on her open door before entering. Angela was sitting on her couch, working on a sketch as a 3D rendering of the current victim's face was processing on her computer. She looked up at his knock and instantly smiled at the handsome man at her door.

"Hey Booth! The reconstruction is uploading now. Should be just a few minutes."

"Great, thanks Ange." He crept closer to her and took notice of her sketch.

"Whatcha drawing there?" He leaned over her shoulder to get a better look.

The pastel sketch was of a faceless woman looking in the mirror while getting ready. She had auburn hair flowing elegantly down to creamy skin and a curvaceous body, adorned by a dress that clung to every lovely curve. Despite the anonymity of the subject, there was no doubt in his mind who the muse in the sketch was. It was his partner down to a T…as in one Temperance Brennan. He stood for a moment, mesmerized by the image and by Angela's talent.

Angela leaned back as she presented the drawing, watching Booth's face carefully as he admired her handiwork. She held her breath, waiting to see if he would recognize the subject. She watched as his eyes sparkled in familiarity and appreciation, and instantly she knew that something had changed. He was looking at the picture with open admiration, something he would have kept subdued before.

Cam had told her this morning about what had happened at the banquet, and all day she had been burning to know how it had all ended up. Brennan had been composed as usual, but one look at Booth in this moment told her what she needed to know. Whatever had happened between him and her best friend, it had been a good, good thing.

Tilting her head to the side while continuing to watch his face, Angela asked, "What do you think?"

Glancing down at Angela's amused face, he smiled almost bashfully and told her the truth.

"It's beautiful Angela."

They stared at each other for a moment in silent communication, reaching an unspoken understanding. Booth understood that Angela knew, and Angela understood that Booth wasn't going to talk about it but wasn't going to deny it either.

The ping from her computer signifying the completed victim rendering caused them to break their gaze. Booth straightened and cleared his throat while Angela grinned at her new-found knowledge. She moved to her computer to print off the image.

"Okay, here's a face for our current victim. I took the liberty of uploading the personnel file photos from the factory. Let's see if it's a match to any of the employees."

She hit a few keys on the keyboard and watched as multiple pictures started flashing on her screen while the program ran comparisons. It didn't take long to find a match.

"Steve Henderson, aged 36. Works as part of the maintenance crew. Employed at the company since 2004."

Angela printed off the personnel file and the facial reconstruction rendering and handed it over to Booth, who took it gratefully.

"Thanks Ange. This'll help get things going."

He turned to go, then stopped himself, feeling compelled to say something about their wordless exchange.

"Listen, Angela…me and Bones, we just need a little time."

Angela raised her hand to stop him. "Say no more…I promise to back off…for now."

She gave him a full smile as he turned to go, but couldn't resist one more jab.

"It's about damned time!" she called as he walked out her door.

*****

Reviews are music to my ears...


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: BONES only belongs to Booth...and Fox, sadly not me.

*****

**Part 20**

Booth made quick use of the information Angela had given him of the identity of the victim. He stopped by the Hoover to pass the information on to the other agents working the background on the case, then left them to do a more extensive work-up on him while he returned to the scene of the crime to interview more people, now that he knew who the victim was.

As it turned out, the victim was single, lived alone in a bachelor apartment not too far from the factory. Since Brennan wasn't with him, he took a cursory look through the place, then let the FBI techs handle the rest, while he went back to the factory to get more answers.

The maintenance manager wasn't on-hand, so he spoke to staff currently on the job. It turned out that the victim was easy enough to get along with, but that he and the maintenance manager had had a falling out a couple days before the victim had gone missing about 2 months ago. Everyone had just assumed that he had been fired, until the body had shown up on Friday.

By the end of the day, Booth had determined that the victim had had a bit of a gambling problem, and that at the time he went missing he had placed a bet on some football games and had lost badly, owing some undesirable people a lot of money. He had also discovered that the maintenance manager, Rob Sherwood, had skipped town as of Thursday night, having cashed out all of his savings, leaving his home in a sudden rush. Booth had put out an APB on Sherwood and was left playing the waiting game until he was found.

At about 8:00 pm, Booth found Brennan typing away at her desk, oblivious to the world around her. He recognized the look on her face; she was working on her latest book. As he leaned on her doorframe, he watched her for a moment as she bit her thumbnail absentmindedly. She only ever did that when she was struggling with the storyline and something wasn't fitting right.

He tapped on the glass door to let her know he was there.

She glanced up from her desk, her face instantly breaking out into a full-blown smile when she saw who it was. It almost made his heart stop.

"Why are you knocking? You never knock. You usually just barge in here like you own the place."

"You seemed like you were deep in thought and I didn't want to startle you."

Booth casually strolled over to her desk, leaning over her to see what she was working on.

"How's the new book coming along?" He smirked as apprehension and surprise passed over her face. She quickly minimized the text screen as soon as she noticed him looking, but not before he saw that it was an exchange between Kathy and Andy…and a heated one at that.

"It's progressing, albeit more slowly than I would like." _Is she blushing? Oh this has got to be good…_

He continued to lean over her as she sat at her desk, the air between them suddenly feeling heavy with renewed awareness.

"Anything I can help with?" he asked silkily.

Brennan took a deep breath. _Why was it suddenly hot in here?_

"No, but thank you for offering." She tried to dissipate the tension a little bit.

"How did the rest of your day go? I'm sorry I wasn't able to come out to the site with you, but I did make some significant progress with the skeletal survey, and I've pinpointed cause of death."

Booth decided to take her hint and ease off a bit, steering the conversation back to what they were most comfortable with – work.

"It went fine. Looks like a pretty straight-forward case. The victim was a gambler and put some heavy bets on some games that went sour. Looks like the maintenance manager might be the booky, since he's come up MIA, taking a lot of cash with him. I've got an APB out on him now. It's only a matter of time."

"Well, that scenario certainly supports some of the evidence we've obtained. The victim was beaten with brass knuckles with his arms held tightly behind his back. He suffered multiple contusions and hairline fractures to his ribs consistent with beating, as well as a significant fracture to his zygomatic and supraorbital arch that is most likely the cause of death."

Booth nodded in understanding, having been exposed the squint speak long enough to know that the guy was beaten to death, with a fatal blow to the face.

"Also, Hodgins found some trace evidence on what was remaining of his clothes, including a hair that did not belong to the victim. We are running DNA analysis on it now. It should be ready by Monday at the latest."

"Great! That means we'll hopefully be wrapping this one up quick." Booth grinned at the thought and what that meant for him and the woman in front of him.

"So, does that mean you're ready to go? I'm starving!" he asked hopefully, knowing full well how hard it was to get Brennan out of the office at the end of the day.

One look at her face told him the answer was a reluctant but definitive no.

"Well…"

She tried to appease his already crestfallen face.

"…we agreed to work hard to clear our schedules, right? Hear me out - I have about two pages left on my book chapter here, and my editor needs it for Monday. So, my reasoning is that if I work to finish it tonight, I'll have cleared all my work commitments and be free all day tomorrow. Given that you can't do anything more for this case until the FBI finds the suspect, your schedule should be unoccupied as well, leaving us both free to do whatever we want."

She didn't bother to hide the innuendo-laden meaning of that last sentence, her voice dropping to a sensuous whisper.

"All day tomorrow…whatever we want…" Booth reaffirmed, giving in to her way of thinking as images of 'whatever' floated through his mind. His skin tingled in response. As always, he gave in.

"Okay, finish your chapter. But I'm going to wait for you right here on your couch." Before she could begin her protest, he raised his hand.

"Don't worry, I promise I won't bother you. In fact, you won't even know I'm here. I'm just going to stretch out here in my usual place and give you your time to think."

She smiled as she watched him stretch out onto her couch. For good measure, he laid with his head closest to her so that he couldn't watch her and she couldn't see his face from her desk. For a few moments she just watched as his breathing settled into a rhythmic pattern of rest, then once she knew he was most likely sleeping, she turned back to the work at hand.

Booth let his body give in to the exhaustion generated from lack of sleep from the night before. Somehow just knowing that she was in the same room as him was soothing, and he quickly dozed off into a light sleep.

Brennan worked steadily for the next 40 minutes, trying to hash out the argument her characters were having. Andy was being over-protective of Kathy after a close call with a suspect, and Kathy was having none of it. Finally, after some heated words, she ended the chapter with a flaming hot kiss, stoked by the argument and their pent-up desires. She knew her editor would be happy with that.

Brennan glanced up at one of her secret inspirations as she packed up her things to go. He was quietly sleeping, oblivious to the world around him, yet she knew that he was a light sleeper; at the slightest disturbance he was usually up and raring to go.

She very quietly packed up her things, surprised that she didn't see him stir. _He must really be exhausted_, she mused to herself as she kept glancing over every few seconds. She stepped out of her office briefly to put in a take-out order at Hop Li's, then tiptoed over to the couch and sat on the coffee table, taking a moment to watch him sleep. For the first time in days he seemed completely relaxed, his brows having lost their furrow, a faint, sweet smile on his face.

She bit her lip, overwhelmed with the sudden flush of emotion that passed through her at the sight of him. This feeling was not the usual rush of arousal that she was accustomed to when looking upon a handsome face. It was so much more than that…she certainly felt the familiar glow in her belly, but it went much deeper. It was what she imagined romantic love felt like and it took her breath away. Looking at him this way, completely openly without having to hide her deep-seated feelings for him was a new sensation for her, and she realized happily that she didn't have to hide those feelings anymore.

It was with this thought that she impulsively leaned over him and gently stroked his face with her fingers, then placed a sweet, emotion-filled kiss on his lips.

Booth stirred as the smell of her perfume engulfed his senses while her lips took full advantage of his mouth. He responded immediately, savouring the kiss, then opened his eyes to what he felt was the most beautiful sight on Earth – Bones' face leaning over him, an undeniable sparkle in her blue eyes as she looked into his own.

"Now _there's_ a way to be woken up,' he whispered huskily, clearly affected by her wake-up kiss.

She smiled shyly at him, happy that she had gone with her gut and not gone wrong with the impulse.

He brought up his hand to stroke her arm as she whispered softly, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," he replied, mesmerized by the faint blush that had crept across her cheeks. He realized that after this moment, once they left her office, things would change forever. They were finally free from their responsibilities and free to explore this chemistry between them that had been bubbling for five years.

Brennan too had come to the same realization, causing the flush in her cheeks, but she was ready for the next journey between them to begin.

"Good," she whispered hungrily.

"Take me home, Booth."

*****

A/N: So this was a transition chapter...any guesses as to what comes next? ;)


	21. Chapter 21

**Part 21**

Booth held Brennan's hand as they walked in silence to his car. He opened the door for her as he always did, then walked around the SUV to take his place in the driver's seat.

"I ordered Hop Li's. It should be ready by the time we get there," Brennan told him, finally breaking the silence as he started the car.

"Oh! Thanks Bones! Now we won't have to wait," Booth replied eagerly. He appreciated how thoughtful his partner had been to order ahead of time, but food was about the last thing on his mind right now. He was hungry alright…not for food but for her.

Brennan stroked the top of his hand absentmindedly, staring in wonder at his long, graceful fingers. The man had beautiful hands…so powerful, yet so gentle. She couldn't wait to find out how skilled he was at using them. She shivered at the thought.

Booth noticed her reaction and asked her, "You okay Bones? You cold?"

She glanced up in a daze, confused by his question.

"Hmm? No, actually I'm quite warm, why?"

Booth smiled amusedly as he pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "No reason. I'm gonna go get this. I'll be right back," he told her as he got out of the car to get their food.

Brennan sat in the car staring blankly out of the window, her mind far away in thought. _This is it_, she thought to herself. _This is where everything changes…there's no going back after tonight…_

She was struck with the realization that while she was nervous, she was ultimately ready for this, to give herself over to him completely. There was no other man on this earth who had ever earned that much respect from her, earned that much trust. No other man but him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by that man opening the door and handing her their take-out as he climbed into the car. She grinned over at him as he settled himself.

"What's so funny?" he asked as he pulled on his seatbelt and pulled away from the parking spot.

"Nothing," she replied, still grinning as she turned back to look out the passenger window.

"I'm just happy," she murmured, almost to herself, though Booth heard her, causing his own face to split into a wide grin.

_Me too_…he thought as he drove the rest of the way to her apartment.

*****

They climbed the stairs to her apartment in silence, a frission of excitement hovering in the air between them. Booth took the food away from Brennan as she went to unlock the door. The lock clicked loudly, the sound seemingly amplified in the quiet hall. Brennan glanced up at him briefly before pushing open the door.

She turned on the lights and put her bags down as Booth routinely made his way to her kitchen to put the food down. She followed him there, moving to open her cupboard, her back turned toward him.

Suddenly she felt a warm set of hands grab her gently by the waist as she reached for the plates. Booth nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck, placing a sweet kiss there as he inhaled her unique scent. She stopped what she was doing and inhaled sharply, startled by his touch and by the wave of desire that swept through her at the sensation of his lips on her neck. She leaned into him slightly, raising her arm behind her to run her fingers through his hair as she gasped for breath. He gripped her more tightly, wrapping his arms around her waist as he continued to place soft kisses up the side of her neck. Brennan responded by stretching her neck further, providing him with the access he was seeking. She shivered as his lips grazed the sensitive spot underneath her earlobe.

"Booth, I thought you were hungry," she whispered huskily, dizzied by the sensations he was evoking in her.

"I am…" he whispered in her ear as he moved to turn her around in his arms so that she was facing him.

She opened her eyes, breathing heavily as she stared into his dark brown ones, his pupils dilated in desire for her.

"What about the food?" she asked distractedly, as she licked her lips in anticipation.

"You have an oven. We can reheat," he replied, just before he crushed his lips against hers, leaving no doubt about what he was hungry for.

*****

Bonus points to anyone that can get the reference to Booth's last line! I borrowed it from another favourite show of mine, and if you were a fan of it too, you'd definitely know where it was from. :D

So my disclaimer is this: I don't own anything from TV, though I like to borrow stuff that I like from it. I promise I will return these characters once I'm done having my way with them. ;)

I know I implied a certain scene in this chapter, but what can I say...I don't like ending things on an odd number, so you'll just have to check back in again and tell me what you think of this one and the next one. Pretty please?


	22. Chapter 22

Hi everyone,

It's been a long long time! I'm really very sorry it's taken 5 months to get the last chapter of this story up. I've had it sitting on my computer half-finished for ages, but with all of the turmoil of the last half of the season, it kind of killed my muse and prevented me from writing the end.

***PLEASE NOTE:***

I've actually written this chapter in two versions, one with a rating of T, and the other with a rating of M (posted as Chapter 23). If you're of age and more inclined to read the "M" version, skip this chapter and move on to Chapter 23. If that's not your thing, this chapter is the same, just less descriptive. :)

I really hope the long wait lives up to your expectations. Thank you all again for sticking with this story and for all of your lovely comments! You guys are wonderful!

Please let me know your thoughts! I'd love to hear them.

And without further ado...

**Part 22**

Booth's mouth hungrily devoured her own, taking the opportunity to stroke her tongue with his as her lips parted in response. He suckled on her lower lip briefly before paying equal attention to her upper lip, sending a wave of desire coursing through her body, making her knees weaken. He pressed into her further against the counter, helping to inadvertently hold her up as his hips connected with hers more intimately than they had ever interacted before. His mind was equally hazed and alert, buzzing with the sensations flowing through him as he gave in to all of the feelings that he'd harboured for her all these years.

Brennan too was equally mesmerized; the sensation of Booth ravaging her mouth, then moving eagerly down her neck to her collarbone as he pushed aside the fabric of her shirt to get better access invoked a plethora of feelings and surprising emotions. She was used to giving in to her primal urges when with a man, but what she was experiencing now was so much more. Her skin was sensitized to his every touch, but her heart was hammering in a way it never had with any other.

Booth moved his hands back down to her waist, grazing his fingers against her soft skin under her shirt. Brennan couldn't wait to feel more of his hands on her, so she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one swift move, revealing her creamy skin and lacy soft pink demi-cup bra.

Her move surprised Booth. He was stymied for a moment, gazing dazedly at her lovely skin. He had had many a fantasy about seeing her like this. Her skin seemed to almost glow in the low lights of the apartment, and now having her in front of him like this, he wondered again how he had ever been able to resist touching her before.

"Woah, Bones, I thought we were going to ease into this…I want to enjoy every second of it."

He stroked his fingers gently down her arm as he continued to appreciate her revealed torso.

"What?" she smiled coyly as she started to pull his tucked shirt out. "I'm eager to continue so I thought I'd facilitate the process by removing my shirt so you could have better access."

He stilled her hands from their actions, then kissed her jawline tenderly before caressing her face.

"We're making love Bones, not having a quick romp in the sack."

She smiled ruefully in that adorably disarming way that got him every time.

"I'm impatient to feel your hands on me Booth. We've waited a long time for this. Going gently is taking too long."

He nearly laughed at the pout on her face, but he managed to retain his composure though grinning from ear to ear. He ran his arms down the sides of her arms as he caressed her waist once more.

"That's kind of the point, Bones."

They were nose to nose as Brennan leaned in just a hair closer, completely filling his personal space as she teased him with one more taunt.

"Didn't I tell you once that I usually go for passionate and uninhibited rather than gentle?"

For emphasis, she looked up at him through her eyelashes and nipped at his lower lip.

In a split second, Booth pushed forward and simultaneously lifted Brennan up over his shoulder in a fireman hold. He started to stride purposefully toward the corridor to her bedroom.

A triumphant smirk spread across his face as she struggled against him from behind.

"Booth! Put me down!"

"Oh, I thought we were doing passionate and uninhibited, Bones. This is how real men do passionate and uninhibited!"

He couldn't keep the mirth from his voice as he made his announcement.

When he got to her bedroom he made a move to dump her unceremoniously on the bed, but at her yelp of protest he yielded and let her down properly in front of him instead.

Brennan leaned into him, tugged on his tie, and whispered huskily, "You'll pay for that."

Booth kissed her hard, letting his well-trained mouth take advantage of her open one, then pulled back briefly to remark, "I'm counting on it."

Her eyes twinkled at his remark as she ran her fingers along the edges of his silk tie. She had a thing for his ties. This one was black with a dark red geometric pattern forming a triangle pointing downwards to his equally provocative "cocky" belt buckle. _How many times had she fantasized about removing it slowly and revealing what lay below it?_ She had no doubts he lived up to his claim.

As she moved her hands up to loosen his tie, Booth's pupils visibly dilated. _So, it affects him too, does it?_ She might have known…after all, this would be the third time she'd either played with or removed his tie in the last year. He had a similar response every time, she just had denied the implications before.

"Have I ever told you how much I like your ties, Booth?" Brennan whispered huskily as she gently tugged to loosen his tie. She let the fabric glide smoothly under his lapel as she pulled it off.

Booth forced himself to keep still as she removed the tie, then slowly worked to unbutton his shirt. As she unfastened the last button, she remarked coyly, "They're very Boothy, just like this," as she tapped his belt buckle, sending a thrill right to his groin.

Booth groaned at the contact of her fingers at his waist. Unable to stand still any longer, he grabbed her by the hips and yanked her closer to him, capturing her lips with his as he sought out the zipper of her skirt.

The zipper gave way easily, her skirt sliding smoothly down her legs, falling to a black pool on the floor. He brushed his hands down over her hips, a thrill running through him at the sensation of her matching pink lace panties passing under his fingertips. Unable to resist, he pulled away to look at her, holding her in place by the waist as he openly scanned her from head to foot.

She literally took his breath away.

"You're beautiful, Bones," Booth voiced gruffly, suddenly caught up in the magic of having his dreams come into reality. "Better than I ever imagined…"

His intense scrutiny of her body caused her to flush in both excitement and sudden nervousness. He had never seen her this way, so exposed. She was glad she at least lived up to his expectations.

"Really?" she asked tentatively, needing affirmation that he really felt that way.

Sensing her vulnerability, he looked straight into her sparkling blue eyes, then lifted her wholly by the waist and laid her back on the bed as he pressed himself into her, leaving no doubt about how his body was reacting to her. He never broke eye contact.

"Really…" he replied, just before he kissed her deeply once more, his tongue plunging into her mouth, dancing with hers in a passionate kiss that left them both breathless.

Booth broke away from her mouth, placing tender, wet kisses along her neck and collarbone as his fingers began to gently caress the skin across her torso, making her shiver and gasp at the touch.

"What's this bone called again?" he asked as he swirled his tongue in the divot along her shoulder.

Brennan closed her eyes at the sensation. All of the hairs on her body were standing on end, her skin practically humming under his touch.

"The clavicle…" she whispered, unconsciously arching her body closer too him in response to his ministrations.

"I love your clavicles," he smiled wickedly as he nipped the skin across her collarbone playfully in response.

He turned his attention next to her lustrous skin below as he slowly kissed his way down her torso. Her arching back had allowed him to slip one hand underneath her, allowing him to push her up towards him with one hand as he gently passed his fingers over her sensitized skin.

Brennan audibly gasped as his fingers made contact, her heightened senses bringing her to a new high in anticipation of his next touch.

She had been right…his hands were masterful at evoking a response in her…

Brennan leaned forward and kissed his chest, starting at his waist and gradually moving up his torso, luxuriating in the sensation of his smooth skin under her mouth. Lost completely in the sensation, Booth closed his eyes and revelled in the sensation of her soft lips placing feather-light kisses against his skin. As she made her way up his neck, she thrilled at the 5 o'clock shadow that grazed against her skin along his jawline. She met his lips, and once more they kissed deeply, as Booth grasped her face with both of his hands, tangling his fingers into her silky soft hair.

Quickly disposing of their remaining clothing, their hands roamed freely as they explored each others bodies, both gasping and moaning at each new thrilling sensation.

Just as their bodies were about to join, their eyes met in a piercing gaze, all emotions pouring out from within. Brennan nodded slightly, and it was all the confirmation Booth needed as he moved forward to finally bring their bodies together.

All of the passion and emotion they had suppressed over the past five years coursed through them as they moved together in unison, climbing higher and higher into an ecstasy that neither had ever experienced with another.

This was the ultimate dance – the dance of lovers, a dance that joined two complementary individuals as one entity, forever linked.

Slowly, they came back to earth, him holding her as she rested her head against his shoulder, her body draped over his possessively, both physically and emotionally spent.

As they drifted off to sleep, Brennan murmured softly, "Is it odd that I don't want to let you go?"

Booth stroked her skin as he replied, "I plan on never letting you go. That's what love feels like Bones."

She replied "I love the way love feels."

"Me too," he replied as he grasped her closer and kissed her hair.

"Booth?"

"Yeah Bones…" he replied sleepily.

"I have to say, I stand corrected. You're definitely not a prude." She smiled against his skin. "I look forward to dancing that dance with you again."

He smirked happily as they drifted off into a restful slumber, the first of many to come.

THE END

Thanks again for reading!


	23. Chapter 23 Part 22, M version

***WARNING!*** This chapter is rated M for mature content. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!

This is the "M" version of Part 22. It's the same as the previous chapter, just with a little more description. Enjoy!

**Part 22**

Booth's mouth hungrily devoured her own, taking the opportunity to stroke her tongue with his as her lips parted in response. He suckled on her lower lip briefly before paying equal attention to her upper lip, sending a wave of desire coursing through her body, making her knees weaken. He pressed into her further against the counter, helping to inadvertently hold her up as his hips connected with hers more intimately than they had ever interacted before. His mind was equally hazed and alert, buzzing with the sensations flowing through him as he gave in to all of the feelings that he'd harboured for her all these years.

Brennan too was equally mesmerized; the sensation of Booth ravaging her mouth, then moving eagerly down her neck to her collarbone as he pushed aside the fabric of her shirt to get better access invoked a plethora of feelings and surprising emotions. She was used to giving in to her primal urges when with a man, but what she was experiencing now was so much more. Her skin was sensitized to his every touch, but her heart was hammering in a way it never had with any other.

Booth moved his hands back down to her waist, grazing his fingers against her soft skin under her shirt. Brennan couldn't wait to feel more of his hands on her, so she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one swift move, revealing her creamy skin and lacy soft pink demi-cup bra.

Her move surprised Booth. He was stymied for a moment, gazing dazedly at her lovely skin and even lovelier breasts. He had had many a fantasy about seeing her like this. Her skin seemed to almost glow in the low lights of the apartment, and now having her in front of him like this, he wondered again how he had ever been able to resist touching her before.

"Woah, Bones, I thought we were going to ease into this…I want to enjoy every second of it."

He stroked his fingers gently down her arm as he continued to appreciate her revealed torso.

"What?" she smiled coyly as she started to pull his tucked shirt out. "I'm eager to continue so I thought I'd facilitate the process by removing my shirt so you could have better access."

He stilled her hands from their actions, then kissed her jawline tenderly before caressing her face.

"We're making love Bones, not having a quick romp in the sack."

She smiled ruefully in that adorably disarming way that got him every time.

"I'm impatient to feel your hands on me Booth. We've waited a long time for this. Going gently is taking too long."

He nearly laughed at the pout on her face, but he managed to retain his composure though grinning from ear to ear. He ran his arms down the sides of her arms as he caressed her waist once more.

"That's kind of the point, Bones."

They were nose to nose as Brennan leaned in just a hair closer, completely filling his personal space as she teased him with one more taunt.

"Didn't I tell you once that I usually go for passionate and uninhibited rather than gentle?"

For emphasis, she looked up at him through her eyelashes and nipped at his lower lip.

In a split second, Booth pushed forward and simultaneously lifted Brennan up over his shoulder in a fireman hold. He started to stride purposefully toward the corridor to her bedroom.

A triumphant smirk spread across his face as she struggled against him from behind.

"Booth! Put me down!"

"Oh, I thought we were doing passionate and uninhibited, Bones. This is how real men do passionate and uninhibited!"

He couldn't keep the mirth from his voice as he made his announcement.

When he got to her bedroom he made a move to dump her unceremoniously on the bed, but at her yelp of protest he yielded and let her down properly in front of him instead.

Brennan leaned into him, tugged on his tie, and whispered huskily, "You'll pay for that."

Booth kissed her hard, letting his well-trained mouth take advantage of her open one, then pulled back briefly to remark, "I'm counting on it."

Her eyes twinkled at his remark as she ran her fingers along the edges of his silk tie. She had a thing for his ties. This one was black with a dark red geometric pattern forming a triangle pointing downwards to his equally provocative "cocky" belt buckle. _How many times had she fantasized about removing it slowly and revealing what lay below it?_ She had no doubts he lived up to his claim.

As she moved her hands up to loosen his tie, Booth's pupils visibly dilated. _So, it affects him too, does it?_ She might have known…after all, this would be the third time she'd either played with or removed his tie in the last year. He had a similar response every time, she just had denied the implications before.

"Have I ever told you how much I like your ties, Booth?" Brennan whispered huskily as she gently tugged to loosen his tie. She let the fabric glide smoothly under his lapel as she pulled it off.

Booth forced himself to keep still as she removed the tie, then slowly worked to unbutton his shirt. As she unfastened the last button, she remarked coyly, "They're very Boothy, just like this," as she tapped his belt buckle, sending a thrill right to his groin.

Booth groaned at the contact of her fingers at his waist. Unable to stand still any longer, he grabbed her by the hips and yanked her closer to him, capturing her lips with his as he sought out the zipper of her skirt.

The zipper gave way easily, her skirt sliding smoothly down her legs, falling to a black pool on the floor. He brushed his hands down over her hips, a thrill running through him at the sensation of her matching pink lace panties passing under his fingertips. Unable to resist, he pulled away to look at her, holding her in place by the waist as he openly scanned her from head to foot.

She literally took his breath away.

"You're beautiful, Bones," Booth voiced gruffly, suddenly caught up in the magic of having his dreams come into reality. "Better than I ever imagined…"

His intense scrutiny of her body caused her to flush in both excitement and sudden nervousness. He had never seen her this way, so exposed. She was glad she at least lived up to his expectations.

"Really?" she asked tentatively, needing affirmation that he really felt that way.

Sensing her vulnerability, he looked straight into her sparkling blue eyes, then lifted her wholly by the waist and laid her back on the bed as he pressed himself into her, leaving no doubt about how his body was reacting to her. He never broke eye contact.

"Really…" he replied, just before he kissed her deeply once more, his tongue plunging into her mouth, dancing with hers in a passionate kiss that left them both breathless.

Booth broke away from her mouth, placing tender, wet kisses along her neck and collarbone as his fingers began to gently caress the skin on the underside of her breasts, making her shiver and gasp at the touch.

"What's this bone called again?" he asked as he swirled his tongue in the divot along her shoulder.

Brennan closed her eyes at the sensation. All of the hairs on her body were standing on end, her skin practically humming under his touch.

"The clavicle…" she whispered, unconsciously arching her body closer too him in response to his ministrations.

"I love your clavicles," he smiled wickedly as he nipped the skin across her collarbone playfully in response.

He turned his attention next to her lustrous skin below as he slowly kissed his way down to her lace-covered breasts. Her arching back had allowed him to slip one hand underneath her, allowing him to push her up towards him with one hand as he gently passed his thumb over her breast with the other.

Brennan audibly gasped as his fingers made contact with her nipple, her heightened senses bringing her to a new high in anticipation of his next touch.

She had been right…his hands were masterful at evoking a response in her…

Booth carefully unclasped her bra with the hand that was behind her, then carefully pulled the fabric away to fully reveal her ample breasts to him. Suddenly overcome at how precious this moment was, he too gasped as she was unveiled to him. He took a moment to appreciate the view, before reverently placing a gentle kiss on her chest. He brought his head down to nuzzle the sensitive skin along the side of her breast with his nose, continuing a soft trail with his lips until he came to one peak, then carefully took a taste of her skin as his tongue passed delightfully over one nipple.

Brennan cried out in pleasure, unconsciously twisting under him as he focused his attention completely on her soft and supple chest. The sensation was astounding. She instinctively moved her hands to caress his ribs, trailing her fingers down to his waistband, where it brushed against his belt and ever-present cocky belt-buckle. She grasped it and tugged, trying to get it loose, but it wouldn't yield.

Her tug on his belt caused Booth to unanchor his mouth from where he was suckling at her breast. Amused by her aggressiveness, he reached down to grab one of her hands away, but he underestimated her strength as she took advantage of his unbalanced position and flipped him onto his back, as she landed with her straddling him.

He stared up at her in surprise as she smiled triumphantly from her perch on top of him.

She leaned into him to whisper, "these pants have got to go," before she grasped his belt-buckle and tugged to unlatch it. He lifted his hips slightly to allow her to slide the belt off his pants, then helped her as she expertly undid his fly and together they slid his dress pants off, leaving him only in his boxers.

Brennan leaned forward and kissed his chest, starting at his waist and gradually moving up his torso, luxuriating in the sensation of his smooth skin under her mouth. Lost completely in the sensation, Booth closed his eyes and revelled in the sensation of her soft lips placing feather-light kisses against his skin. As she made her way up his neck, she thrilled at the 5 o'clock shadow that grazed against her skin along his jawline. She met his lips, and once more they kissed deeply, as Booth grasped her face with both of his hands, tangling his fingers into her silky soft hair.

He pressed one of his hands against her back as he hooked his leg around hers to flip them so he was once again on top. Quickly disposing of their remaining clothing, their hands roamed freely as they explored each others bodies, both gasping and moaning at each new thrilling sensation.

Just as their bodies were about to join, their eyes met in a piercing gaze, all emotions pouring out from within. Brennan nodded slightly, and it was all the confirmation Booth needed as he moved forward to finally bring their bodies together.

All of the passion and emotion they had suppressed over the past five years coursed through them as they moved together in unison, climbing higher and higher into an ecstasy that neither had ever experienced with another.

This was the ultimate dance – the dance of lovers, a dance that joined two complementary individuals as one entity, forever linked.

Slowly, they came back to earth, him holding her as she rested her head against his shoulder, her body draped over his possessively, both physically and emotionally spent.

As they drifted off to sleep, Brennan murmured softly, "Is it odd that I don't want to let you go?"

Booth stroked her skin as he replied, "I plan on never letting you go. That's what love feels like Bones."

She replied "I love the way love feels."

"Me too," he replied as he grasped her closer and kissed her hair.

"Booth?"

"Yeah Bones…" he replied sleepily.

"I have to say, I stand corrected. You're definitely not a prude." She smiled against his skin. "I look forward to dancing that dance with you again."

He smirked happily as they drifted off into a restful slumber, the first of many to come.

THE END

Thanks so much for reading!


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